Skylanders Academy: Our Beginning
by ChaosX97
Summary: Two beings at odds with the world around them have their worlds collide. Skylander Academy, charged with the training of new generations of heroes, opens its doors to a cocky young dragon and a lonely boy who must come together with each other and their friends as those who will save the Skylands from a great threat. School is now in session.
1. Lines Between

_I look up and think about a lot of things. Where I'll go, what's going to happen. But I think of you too._

 _I think of how it might end, but I also remember how it all began. And it seems the same._

 _Meeting you began it all for me, when I began in a place of endings…_

 _._

A pencil hovered and tapped down on nearly bare pages held by a boy sitting hunched before his desk. The weak light from the lamp watched silently as he made little scratches to the side and in between at every odd moment. The shadow of his hand blocked it, but his dull blue pupils saw the tip move down and wandered after a moment to every other corner and beyond the frame of his small workspace.

"Nothing today either…"

The room he sat in could be called as some symmetrical cavern, though even rock walls had more appeal. Lit by cloudy morning light, the white walls were an empty grid dotted with a few pages of half-drawn fantastical creatures. His bed sat perfectly straight in its coordinated space despite its unset covers, while his closet had a perfect row of unworn clothes. The clock on the walls ticking away the hours were the only hint of life, clanging away the constant silence.

He sighed out the air filling his thin features and lay his thoughts to rest, shutting the book. The title 'Cody's Journal' was etched on the front in colorful letters, hidden away when placed on the small shelf. The red-headed namesake walked to his bed and laid down, eyelids drooping.

"Maybe tomorrow…"

The sounds of chirping stirred Cody towards the unusually straight branch near his window. He pulled his sleeve, shut his eyes, and turned away to let it drown out into silence. But as the sound went up the line to screeches, he scratched his head in defeat and towed himself to his window.

Shivering slightly at the cold that came after cracking it open, he spied a nest occupied with the source, a rare sight in winter of a red robin. The bird tilted its head and hopped closer towards the boy who expected the opposite the moment he flipped the latch. He had wondered how soon birds would return with the arrival of March and spring closing in and dared to open more while looking to his pocket.

"Here you go… You're prob'ly hungry…" He sluggishly reached down and poured birdseed on the windowsill. It was the last from a bag that had spent a few years in a kitchen cupboard.

The bird tilted its head a few times while he reached to place seed on the branch's edge. It startled back with the approach of his hand, then hopped bit by bit towards the seed. The boy stared as the small creature pecked at the offering, backing away as it came to the windowsill for its full share.

"You're lucky…" he turned away. "You can fly wherever you want, not me… Maybe that's better."

He found himself locking eyes with the bird, almost listening. His thin fingers twitched and raised slightly, though it flew away before anything else. He sighed watching the bird flying straight ahead. Probably someplace where it could be alone now that it had gotten charity from him.

The town he lived in was full of similar lines, every block made of perfect little squares with the snow folded and tucked away right by the sidewalks. Old brick townhomes almost melded together with archaic lampposts at the crosswalks, like photos from a history book. Like every other day he watched from his second-story, cars drove by at patient speeds and students headed to school in uniform and single file. He'd let his focus stray with the lines to some random aspect every day, and some aspect of that aspect before shutting the curtains and forgetting about it completely. All just blank space to him.

His own line of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Cody?"

He said nothing, and the door opened.

A young woman stepped in with curly red hair and a purple sweater almost blinding his eyes with color. She came forward with a smile like early spring and twinkling eyes past her glasses. "Hello, Cody. How are you doing today?"

"…Hi, Ms. Phillips." He said with no expression whatsoever.

He turned away when her smile disappeared, but swore he saw her physically try to pull it up again. That just warded him away more. "You seem tired as usual. Getting ready for our lessons today, I'm sure."

Cody returned to his desk without a word, walls up with the lock of his hands.

"Your dad sent me a message earlier, said he was going to be late at the office again. A police chief's work is never done, I suppose."

"…Mm-hm…"

She paused and reached out for the textbooks she had in her pink purse, trying to make eye contact with him as she went for the chair next to him. He only turned and hid again as snow beneath the shade avoiding the sun. He tried to pass it off as reaching for his papers from the desk, though huddled when he'd caught the sloppy handwriting and incomplete doodles scattered all across the surface.

"Well, why don't we go over the first few problems?" She pushed her glasses up and read. "It's okay if you had any kind of problems. Fractions can be a little difficult for most students."

"…Mm-hm…"

"Good, we'll start with this one: Greg had a pan of brownies. He gave a third to his friend Daniel and a sixth to his other friend Susan. How many brownies did Greg give away?"

"…Three."

"Very good. How about the next one?" She turned the page. "A school wants to build a new playground. They decide to use a fourth of the ground…" His tutor's voice was drowned out by more of that white noise in his head. It happened at times during their get togethers, though he didn't want to admit that he was just wasting her time with it. "…Cody?"

He flinched. "…Um… the answer…"

She gave a small grin that he grimaced at. "A fourth for a baseball field and three eights for a jungle gym. How much is left for the nature walk they also want to build?"

"…Three eights."

"Very good, Cody. I'm impressed." She clapped. "How did you figure them all out so easily?"

He bowed down letting her praise bounce off his walls, hand shuffling papers. "I drew a little…"

"… Can I see?"

Cody kept his hand on the paper but made no resistance when Ms. Phillips took them from him. There were colors and shapes in different patterns strewn all over, but no numbers or any manner of discernible tie to an actual math problem. If he had glanced at it himself it would have made no more sense than it seemed to ultimately make to her, as she stared at the silent artist across from her.

"Like… the first one." He muttered. "Blue squares are his, so red and yellow go to others. Fractions are bigger if they have smaller bottom numbers so…"

Ms. Phillips smiled again. "That's very clever, Cody. Using your drawings to help you through the math problem. You must be very talented in drawing too."

Cody looked to the wall drawings again. Most of them couldn't be considered any better than the scribbles he had made on his notes, only straight lines trying to form something. He couldn't say he was skilled or intelligent in terms of anything, especially not drawing. Hunching down spoke of that denial enough to his teacher, who frowned and tried to smile again.

"Well, let's go ahead and move on to today's lesson. Sound good?"

"…Mmm…" Both took their own textbooks and skimmed to the same page.

"Now last week's lesson was about adding and subtracting fractions, which requires a common denominator. This week we're covering multiplying and dividing fractions, which doesn't need that. The proper way is to… Cody?"

The boy in question had returned to the same sagged position as earlier. The desk and pencil he let lay abandoned faded into a lifeless sketch of lines posing as the world in front of his empty gaze. His teacher had noticed and silently closed her book, kneeling by his side with a hand to the shoulder that was little more than flowing air.

"You're doing it again..." She noted.

"…Sorry…"

"…I planned to save this until after we were done, but I think you'd be interested in this." Ms. Phillips reached for her purse and pulled out a white tablet. Tapping on it, she showed an ad adorned to the brim with stars and big letters. "A meteor shower, tonight! The sky will be clearing up after 5:30 so you'll be able to see it. Doesn't that sound exciting?"

"Eh…"

"You know, they say rare events like this are good fortune, that they mean the start of something special…" She set her tablet down and walked over to an old photo on the wall, showing a forgotten time with a line of vibrant smiles sported by him and the young couple surrounding him. "It's been five years. It's… not much of a way for you to rejoin the world, but it beats staring at your desk all day."

Good events and good itself were rare with all that passed time down to the recent days they spent together. He'd stretched and maintained the barrier between himself and everything else, and though that was the cost, he'd lived with it. The boy that sat alone in his room followed a straight line much like every other in this archaic town. To disturb something that worked in his opinion was, for lack of a better term, pointless.

He turned to the bed considering an early sleep as the preferable option, but the light would no doubt keep him awake. His scribbles were good clue that any drawing period wouldn't last long enough. Looking to his teacher who had spared such time to come to his home and tutor him, he didn't want to disappoint her either.

The words were still dragged from his mouth. "…I'll think about it."

* * *

Thoughts would be lost for the colossal stone stadium in the sky, completely unbound by walls, easily spanning the length of the town so far below all that was seeable beneath was endless blue. Under rows of multicolored banners, the stands were filled with every manner of creature that could or had graced the imagination, shouting caucuses of praise. There was no uniform control amongst them: every person and the cheers they cried out across the field were a singularity in themselves.

"All right, folks! Let's see some love for your home teams, not to mention for the handsome devil in the announcer's seat," came the masculine voice of a mammalian creature atop the stands. "It's a beautiful day for Skyball, wouldn't ya say?"

The crowd, half composed of similar creatures to him, roared back.

"This is Flynn here, your favorite multitalented Mabu taking a break from flying the friendly skies of Skylands to bring you up to the minute action. In this corner we have us the visiting team! You know 'em, you love 'em, you look just like 'em! Give it up for the Mabu Marauders!"

From the left entrance came a group of furry creatures looking the same as the other 'Mabus' and Flynn. The only differences were in fur color, green sports outfits, and the occasional alternation of spots. They leaped and posed together with gymnastic sequence that left their kind roaring their support.

"And in this corner, we got us the home team!" With that announcement came the cries of the other half of the crowd that had more notable variety. "These guys got skill, these guys got guts! In fact the only thing they don't have is a more creative name! But let's bring 'em out here folks, what do you say!?" The crowd cheered again.

From the other entrance they surged in with all the elements at their side. A fish-man on a surge of water, a blue turtle with a spiny shell riding a whirlwind that also carried a wind-up toy with sharp pincers on sparkling burners, and a muscular man-shark from a plume of earth and dirt. They all posed and wave to encouraging shouts from their fellow random creatures. "Yeah, I bet I could take these guys before you'd even get to three." Flynn bragged.

"Ey!" The shark shouted turning to the stands. "You wanna come down 'n put yo money where yo' mouth is, Mabu Man!?"

"Can't hear you! Moving on!" Flynn rose. "We got us our teams, so let's get to… wait. We, uh, missing one? Don't suppose he called in sick or-"

Flynn was cut off by the crowd's sudden awe at the flash of flames above their heads beaming down. A small purple blur charged with bold power and graceful aerial maneuvers of twists, turns, and loops vanquishing a perilous inferno of its own design. In its wake was a cape of smoke growing ever longer in the wake of an outstretched claw breaking through the burning lines. The blur came in close spinning and wrapping itself in ribbons of flame before shedding them off with a mighty burst, with the message 'Spyro is awesome!' behind him in white cloudy letters.

"Yo, yo, yo! What is UP, everybody?" Came a voice from the glow matching a second sun.

The blur came down with a crash and beat away the ensuing dust with a single flap, revealing a purple-scaled dragon standing tall with a stance that exuded spirit. His orange spines and horns glistened in the clear light, appearing as some heroic aura that made the fans go wild. He raised his head high towards the Mabus with the lines of screaming fans traced along the edges of his outstretched wings.

That line was stopped beyond his knowledge at a pair in the stands, a green skinned girl and a red rock creature with limbs. Their faces went fully monotone at the dragon and his entrance.

"He's doing it again," said the rock creature.

"Chill, Eruptor. We've put up with it this long." The elf looked to him, or at least appeared to with her glowing pupils.

"And four more years of it are on the way, Stealth Elf! I'm gonna go volcanic!"

"Nice o' you to join us, Mr. Stuntman!" Terrafin the man-shark chided the dragon, who was buffing his claws at the annoyance of the others. "You done with the halftime show?"

"Ease up, T-Man. Just givin' the folks what they wanna see." Spyro bragged. "Heroes gotta nail the entrance if they're gonna make headlines, am I right?"

"Fool, I don't care 'bout your headlines! You gonna get'cha head in the game or-"

"What you need, my mouthy friend, is a healthy dose of sportsmanship. Sides, the halftime show was just a pre-show." The dragon turned to the opposing team. "Here's where the real entertainment starts... Although speaking of, do you think I could've added a little sizzle if I did some burst shots, maybe a few more Figure 8's-"

"Well, there you have it folks, spelling out 'ego' in big, bold letters, it's Spyro!" Flynn cut in. "They are your SKYLANDERS!"

All players took their positions, each staring down their opponents one by one. Spyro, however, stood tall against the Mabu opposite from him, smirking at the clear beads of sweat. Letting his attention wander from the game he winked at a group of females watching and sent them into faints. He then bared down and clenched the ground in his claws, casting the lines of action in his mind past the immobile players that placed the field under his complete dominion. His wings traced the motions, his mind accounting for every scenario to the goal, and he would be rendered untouchable.

The referee whistled and forward came a ball with glowing symbols, past all his mental lines. In less than a heartbeat he had slapped it into the air by the spine on his own tail. He bounced it on his head and let it roll down his back as he flipped in the air and swatted it into a goal.

"Goal!" Cried the Mabu in the stands.

"Lucky shot…" One of the Mabu players muttered.

The Mabu team had caught the ball and were rushing towards the opposing goal but were intercepted by a rushing harpoon shot and a sudden whirlwind that sucked in the gust. Warnado the turtle appeared spinning and swirling the ball up for fish-man Gill Grunt to spike down in a team play. But a purple swirl appeared within the wind and from above suddenly came Spyro, who stole the moment and zipped down to catch the ball and bounce it by his wing's membrane.

"Hey! We're on your team, remember?" Gill Grunt cried.

"And a bit of advice from your teammate, work on that reaction time!"

Spyro blasted forward and flip kicked the ball upward and twirled himself to launch it inverted. All any could follow in the breakneck zigzag that ensued was the burning trail of the ball gone aflame, unknown if by speed or actual dragonfire. It near launched a hole through the goal on the Mabu's side once again.

The mechanized Wind-Up had been attempting to wrangle the ball from a Mabu with focused footplay that ended in the ball going airborne. Just as the toy Skylander sprang up to reach it, a set of claws beside his own snatched it away.

"Hey, no hands!" One of the Mabu cried.

"Four-legger!" Spyro smirked. "Want the rule book or anatomy book for that one?" Spyro laughed and sprang around himself with just the bones in his wings or the tip of his tail, earning wild cries with each bounce. The buzzer sounded again with another hard launch into the goal.

For some time the game continued like this, lines darting and clashing as the two teams entered close combat for the small orb. The Skylanders continued to ravage the field with a small array of natural disasters, leaving the Mabus to dodge tidal waves, tornadoes, and earthquakes by their hairs and steal the ball away. The ball followed no straight course while its symbols were set aglow in the chaos, intercepted by players on both sides who nearly came face to face with slaughter from the other side.

"Whoo-hoo!"

Then the dragon would fly in sporting a grin to his troubled teammates and some new display and the line would only be between him and the goal. Upon upturned earth he would strut in to swipe the ball, each movement frivolous yet firmly flawless seeping in between the defense like firelight. Every complex trick shot he had devised on the spot struck goal after goal despite the Mabu's best efforts.

"Hey, hotshot!" Terrafin shouted to the dragon bopping the ball in the air. "In case your brain's been getting' mixed up pullin' off those fancy moves, we're still here!"

"T, come on. I've been rocking it all game and 'fancy's' the best you can do? How 'bout 'incredible,' 'extreme,' or just go with 'unbelievable!'

"Oh, somethin's unbelievable, alright!"

"There ya go! Come on, keep 'em coming!"

"You been winking all game, so I know you got somethin' in yo eye! We ain't yo cheerleaders!" The others nodded in agreement.

The dragon spared them a sideways glance. "Well, hate to say it, but I'm kinda relieved. You don't have the best material and I would really flip seeing you in a skirt!" He laughed and flew off, leaving Terrafin to growl.

The countdown was running and for Spyro it was another easy run to the buzzer. Every line he ran to victory fated so far, he took his time to breeze over with the ball spun on his wing tip. But for once the line was halted as the entire Mabu team swarmed him, no doubt rightfully seeing him as the true threat. Spyro swerved hard and passed the ball between his wings but kept his focus on the Mabus at the same time. Their flustered faces made the whole situation a game of keep away for him.

"Yo, Spyro!"

"I'm open! I'm open!"

"Fool, don't just look! Pass the dang ball!"

Each of his abandoned teammates waved and shouted as much as they could from all around. The dragon just passed it off as more of the white noise that the cheers had become. He raised his head and shut his eyes, opening them at the ends of all the paths he had perceived.

"What's he doing!?" Eruptor cried.

"Spyro! Pass the ball!" Stealth Elf cheered.

Like ropes they appeared but with the loss of outside shouts to the wind, Spyro saw them all vanish. As the mental net above broke down everything else faded into blurs of color. His eyes burst open and he whiplashed the ball into the air, then pinballed around each Mabu sending them into a spin. Just as the ball reached the highest point of its ascent, he had won the race with gravity and caught it in his own claws. Everything faded, and he was free at last.

There it was, the sky, endless and unfettered, blocked to him during the entire game but now the clouds almost parted as an open road to him. His heartbeat pounded looking into some straight road throughout and into infinity. He wondered if it did with a wonderous smile and a gleam in his eye, not even noticing his wings following his thoughts and flying further and further into it.

But he blinked, and reality reared in. The fans' screams and Flynn's recital of the final countdown for dramatic effect reached after him pulling him down.

"5! 4!"

The dragon dive-bombed towards the field, the ball held close. At the right distance, he released it and launched it with his tail again.

"3! 2!"

Everyone watched the sphere come down with meteoric force. Some bit their nails while others near suffocated.

"1!"

At the sound of the buzzer, the ball had crossed past the poles. It slammed into the net and drove right through the web, smashing into the wall behind it. The fans gasped and observed the small crater formed while the ball dropped to the ground.

Every voice in that stadium unified into an explosive roar on all sides, near shaking the stadium in their cacophony. Large metal cannons shot out glowing and sparkling orbs that burst into dazzling fireworks. The star shooter slammed down, returned to his tall stance and confident grin as the spectators cried out his name over and over.

"Skylanders win! Skylanders win!" Flynn screamed, though he quickly regained his own composure. "Uh, yeah… give 'em the trophy."

A massive golden cup was brought out before the Skylanders, polished and adorned with a wreath of flowers at the top. The dragon flew and landed inside the cup. "Alright. Some game, some hustle! Am I right, guys?"

The others hardly carried the sentiment of the fans, either displeased or outright furious in Terrafin's case. "The heck was up with that?"

"What?"

"Don't you 'what' me, fool! You spazzin' out up there! We could'a lost the game 'cuz o' you!"

"T,T,T, where' that sportsmanship?" Spyro shook his head. "Game's about more than the final score, it's all about the fun. And upping the cool factor with a last second game-winning shot from halfway to space, F-U-N, fun!"

"Cool factor!?" The shark creature fumed.

"Something to think about. Being a Skylander means you're a one-hero show, especially once school's out for good and you go active. Gotta prove you got the skills to give baddies the chills."

"Not all Skylanders go solo, Skylander Solo." Terrafin leaned in close. "An' you better check past that long snout o' yours and see you got a team backin' you up or you won't for much longer."

Spyro shot back into the air. "Hey, I know I got a team. I mean, who else was gonna help me get the trophy home? I know you've been working out, T. So, who wants first touch?

The embittered group trudged away with bitter mumblings and completely faded from behind the dragon basking in the spotlight. He shot back into the air with another round of daredevil tricks and his own rounds of fireworks. But basking in the ring of victory, surrounded by praise turned routine, there was still only one thing that had kept his attention.

.

Sometime after the audience's throats had started to go sore, Spyro returned by himself to the stadium entrance. He'd kept an eye on the trophy as he'd explained to Terrafin who'd returned, yet the man-shark only scowled and hoisted it across his shoulder before heading back. Leaning against the stone wall with blinding daylight at both sides, he polished his scales and gave a sigh to the face reflected. A possible trick of the light, he'd sworn the grin on his own face wasn't there on the one staring back.

"Ah, Spyro. There you are."

He'd pulled himself away from the sight of himself to catch the voice appearing from the small slit of shadows somehow there. An old man with a silvery beard, wise and powerful, in flowing robes came before him with his arms folded behind. The air he gave matched his gaze in terms of authority, or beyond emotion, an actual force came radiating from him, the dragon always noticed.

"Hey, Master Eon!" Spyro called and flew over. "Yeah, I was just thinking of heading out for some flying practice. Didn't see you for most of the game there. I mean, I just noticed when I didn't hear some voices cheering on their favorite dragon!"

"Apologies, my boy. I had matters to attend to at the Academy." The old man warmly chuckled. "Though I was able to arrive near the end. Noticed your last shot."

"Right, the big Spyro Sizzler. The Game-Saver. Trying to come up with a killer name for it."

"Quite. Thought what I was perplexed with was the extended pause that led up to it. While I applaud the technique, and can say after training so many Skylanders that I do enjoy a bit of dramatization, I would be remiss if I did not say I had my share of concerns."

"You and Terrafin both." The dragon rolled his eyes.

"Terrafin can be brash but I would be willing to leave it as just that were this an isolated incident." He eyed the young dragon and came forward, who dropped to the floor with his wings gone limp. "It wasn't one of your… urges again, was it?"

"Whaaaat? Pssh, no!" Spyro chuckled. "Just a… beautiful day today, like it always is.

Eon gave a glance at Spyro, who tried to look away but had returned to a direct glance in a second. His gaze returned to the sky just behind the sage man, calling him again into that radiant blue with no lines or boundaries at all. His wings were pulled up again almost by invisible strings, both had noticed, and beat slightly faster in raising him from the ground. His pupils were magnetized pulling him back and forth between Eon and the outside, though the grin maintained.

The old man leaned back to still stance once more. "Very well then… You'll be pleased to know the weather tomorrow for your field trip will be just as pleasant. Though given it will be in the Falling Forest, I doubt you'll have time to enjoy it."

"We're seriously going to the Falling Forest?" The dragon gasped. "Awesome! I am all fired up!"

"Don't be too complacent, Spyro. The Forest is home to many vile creatures and mysteries. Be prepared for anything."

"Hey, you might as well save your warnings for the forest, 'cause there's a new hero in town." Spyro darted out, his voice echoing as he went farther out of sight. "The bold, the majestic, the ever-humble Spyro the Skylander!"

The old man followed him to the edge of the stadium entrance. The young dragon looked as giddy as he could for the duties of a hero. But he saw this optimism and gave a heavy glance.

"You're not a Skylander yet…"

* * *

 **Hello to the Skylanders community here on Fanfiction!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this piece, the first chapter always seems to be the hardest, but I think this one turned out okay for the most part. A lot of this chapter was experimentation in terms of a lot of writing techniques and ideas for what I want to happen in the story. If there are some questions you have, feel free to PM me or ask in the review section and I'll try and answer them by next chapter.**

 **Anyway for the main concern this is more or less based in the Skylanders Academy universe, with some elements of the games sprinkled in. More or less, the Netflix series was my main entry into Skylanders while I've just noticed the games from afar. Another thing of note is that this takes place while Spyro and the others are still students, because I was honestly sure that was how the show was going to be – instead, it starts with Spyro, Elf, and Eruptor as graduates getting ready to take on the Skylands. I'm going to try and do everything here justice.**

 **Again, I hope everyone enjoys this work. The next chapter will be coming soon; I am trying to get a routine for writing all hammered out. Until then, review, favorite, follow!**


	2. To Another World

Time passed in a blink and night had fallen on the town. A few lit streetlamps and a sky dotted with violet remnants of overcast could make a world of difference, but it lost all sense after so many cycles of the same. Cody stared listlessly from the edge of his bed, the chill from the crack in the window telling him it was the same old town. His worn-out nightwear lay forgotten atop his pillow after pulling it out. Time itself was nearly given the same treatment, he just noticed, when the alarm by his bed spelled '10:00' in bright red.

He looked out and down as much as he could down to the lot by his house. It lay vacant with the porchlight highlighting nothing but the wet cement. "Dad still isn't home…"

That too was no sudden shift in the grand scheme. It was another late night where his father saw fit to help the part-timers and organize errant reports on littering and DUI incidents. Between the spare pillow brought from home and several meals he'd prepared, the man practically lived there now.

He'd dragged himself from his seat to grab his phone and scroll to his e-mail. The inbox was filled with only a handful of emails spanning the five years he'd secluded himself into his own home, and nearly all from his cheery tutor. At the top was an unread message in bold, marked with a familiar message.

'METEOR SHOWER TONIGHT'

'Hi, Cody. Just a reminder not to miss the big show tonight.' It read. 'Don't go sleeping just yet! Ms. P'

The boy blinked and passed his phone on the table by his bed. "I said I'd think about it. And I thought about it. Not interested…"

He made the walk to the bathroom and grabbed his toothbrush. The boy remembered strict words that it was proper etiquette to remain in the bathroom while doing his business, yet he was practically pulled back to his own space. Even between the short walk and the task of cleaning his desk's messy surface of dust and errant items from the afternoon, the brush had barely made its third pass. He hadn't even noticed his swallowing the foam.

"Uck…" He gagged. "Not again…"

The brush left his mouth and his hand went to his neck as he gagged, then to the head with another sigh. His attention must have been in shambles as he'd barely caught himself wandering towards the table with his phone to check the email once more. Scrolling down to the photo and the abundance of clipart, he rolled his eyes at his teacher's tendency to overuse images in her messages.

Then again, it was her words that he recalled more than her habits. "Something good happening..."

He set the phone into his pocket.

"Fine…"

Everything else just as well blanked from history, he retook his seat at his bed and stared. The last wisps of cloud had completely faded, and the sky was now littered with stars peeking in one by one, gleaming each like the first to appear. It perked his notice for the first time in a while, especially when his teacher had likely based her report off guesswork forecasts.

But then it began, those crystalline shines falling down to earth, like Heaven itself smiling and gracing a stained world with treasures to place in the rough. He'd almost wanted to will tears to fall from his face along with them, even when he didn't dare to blink. Still his mouth hung agape slightly with the tens of lights that fell by the second. It drew him to the edge of the window and his hand on the cold plastic just to see more.

The light that traced along his fingers and the windowsill was passed for Heaven itself, but he saw as the glow of a star from above. With eyes wide, he jumped out of the way. It struck the branch going down, crashing into the ground. He still could make out sparks pulling himself up.

The boy was still hyperventilating, able only to reach an inch for air, staring at the glass reflecting the attacking sky. His legs threatened to collapse and dragged like iron as he pulled himself up towards the windowsill. Bright blue sparks still lashed out from the piece of night that had somehow found its way to just a few inches from his porch. He went as pale as any of the stars remaining up there and hoped they would remain so.

"W-W-Wha…?"

Frantic chirping wrenched Cody's attention away from the sight. The robin from that morning was there, bobbing up and down in the air above the branch. One of its wings wasn't moving right as it started dropping more. He gasped, reached for a stray gray jacket, and raced down the hall. He nearly tumbled down the stairs to the front door.

The lock almost slipped in his hand, but he swung the door open. The bird had used up its strength and now plummeted. He dove and just caught the tiny creature an inch above the snow.

Cody breathed hard with steam puffing before the cringing bird and shook his head. "Something good happening…"

He rose and held the bird close to the chest, giving whatever futile protection he could from the cold with his jacket's wool. Already he could feel the unnatural bend in one of its wings jutting along his finger pressing to keep it down. It shivered and rustled its feathers in his hand, even as he breathed deep to settle them both. He turned to his home and reached for the door. But that's when he saw it.

The boy turned and inched to the glow just by the root of the tree, the small crater formed in the wake still steaming. From the center as the light finally began to dim, there lay the strangest rock he had ever seen, strange symbols around its surface and a luminous blue crystal in is center. The heartbeat like pulse only ponded on his own with the fear of some second attack.

Trembling, he picked it up, squinting with the strengthening glow but soon transfixed. For the first time in ages his heartbeat returned to normal, if agitated in its strangely slower pace.

"What… is this thing?"

Feathers turned in his other hand and Cody suddenly remembered the injured creature needing care. He stuffed the strange rock in his pocket and returned inside. He leaned against the shut door with his mind given the chance to catch up with events, his teacher's words once again lingering.

Something interesting happened, that was for sure.

.

It was a welcome return to stability when Cody flipped the switch and fluorescent light revealed his kitchen. Of the few things he prided himself for, one most notable was how he could recall every detail of the room when he felt like a mouse in a mansion. In a practical biodome around a polished white marble table was a ring of drawers and cabinets, complete with several windows outlined with snow and a stainless-steel oven and refrigerator on both sides. Elaborate glass lamps hung overhead, giving him a good look at the bird's singed, bent wing as he laid it on a towel on the counter.

"I-It's okay… I, I can help…" He whispered.

He brushed the small creature's limb, startling them both when it twitched and tried to fly away. He was forced to press down and grab it as it tried to fly. He flinched with every sudden movement, thinking the bird was likely to cause more harm to itself then he could to it.

Cody reached for a drawer beneath the countertop and pulled out a roll of gauze and two old popsicle sticks. A tray of birdseed and water were placed by the bird for it to feed at. His fingers brushed the feathers and squeezed the wing between the two sticks while he wrapped the gauze around. He was no doctor, he regretted, but the makeshift splint appeared to be applied correctly.

"Don't try to flap around too much… a birdcage would be good, if I had one…"

There was nothing quite like a cage – walls to keep you in, and everyone else out.

He pulled away from the bird and reached for the pulsing stone in his pocket. His teacher spoke of wonders and beginnings, but a rock falling from the sky was hardly a change for the better in his opinion. Fortune offered him a rose only for another innocent creature to be pricked by the thorns. The bird that shivered on a towel in front of him couldn't be free or well, possibly ever again. That was all any of this amounted to in the end.

He should be the one locked in a cage. Someone always suffered misfortune at his unintended hand. The past five years was enough to prove that one simple fact.

He turned to the bird downcast. "Ms. Phillips will be here tomorrow. I'll ask her to get some medicine for you…"

The stone glowed again. He gasped and clenched his fingers around it as it went rebelliously hot in his hand, searing at the skin. He jerked his hand to toss it, yet the stone refused to be released. It shined with the strength of daylight and wind began to stir around the room, blowing towels and rattling utensils out of place. The bird frantically chirped over the swell of events.

Cody shielded his eyes and stepped back holding out the object. "W-What's happening!?"

His scream echoed throughout the room with the surge of light. But soon enough it all stopped. There was no glow, no wind, no humming of the stone in the boy's hand.

And there was no boy either.

* * *

Cody squinted to block the light, somehow still strong despite the lack of noise.

Though there suddenly was no lack of noise.

He expected the hum of fluorescent lights and wild chirps from his feathered patient. It had been replaced with the hum of insects and healthier tweets from every other direction. There was even the rustling of leaves in the wake of soft wind upon his sleeves and the odd crack of wood. All sounds out of place for an indoor kitchen.

But when he pulled his arms away and opened his eyes, he saw why.

His white kitchen had been replaced with a misty forest, walls switched with trees that enclosed him with grasping bone-thin branches. The grass and leaves were wilted and smelled of decay, while rocks that peeked out from amidst the weed-like bushes stood tall like tombstones. Backed against another tree, he choked feeling bark as hard as stone and breaking with the drag of his fingers. The more he looked at the scene, the wider his eyes went and the more he felt the air all this nature needed was needed in him.

The boy backed away with the stirrings of trembling throughout him. But his foot slipped on a rocky edge. And when he turned…

"AAH!"

He raced back and tripped. At the bottom was… no bottom. Just an endless drop of orange sky and clouds.

"What the… What's going on!?" He looked back. "I-Is, this is, what!?"

He was in a spooky forest on an island in the sky. But islands didn't float, at least not if the few geology lessons he had ever taught him anything. Then there was his kitchen. He was in a kitchen a moment ago. Now he was in a forest. The stone brought him to the forest. How could a stone do that? Was it a stone? It fell from the sky, or did it? Maybe it was a meteorite – a teleporting meteorite? That just sounded like something out of a bad sci-fi movie. Was he dreaming all of this? Or just plain going crazy?

Where was the stone?

Cody looked to his hand and there, going dim, was the incriminating piece of space rock behind it all. Whatever part of this was a dream and whatever part was reality was uncertain and irrelevant to him now. All he knew was he was someplace he didn't know, and he had no way to get back.

What if there was no way back?

Cody peered at the uninviting landscape and wondered if this was just a new prison for him. Feeling that just made the scenery teeter-totter and spin and swing randomly in his view. He heaved feeling his head grow heavy and his vision grow black. Then everything finally keeled over.

He collapsed against the wood, with the glowing rock still in his palm.

Something interesting definitely happened.

* * *

 **And there it is, chapter 2, folks. Not very long, I know, but it does provide the necessary setup and it means it got here that much sooner. Besides, the next chapter as it's looking now promises to make up for the lack of length.**

 **I'm sure those of you who know your Skylanders lore can tell what Cody found and where he is. Yes, things work a little differently here, and I'm hoping you'll all stick around to see how thing play out. Next chapter we'll be coming back to our favorite purple dragon and another very important character.**

 **Now then, onto reviews. I should get into these more often with my other stuff as well. But.**

 **MYTHICBOY: Thanks for the kind words. Here is the chapter as per your request. Hopefully others will like this like you in time.**

 **Until then, review, favorite, follow! Chaos, away!**


	3. Discoveries

"Glumshanks! Something interesting happened!"

Once again that discordant voice rang out, lashing upon the cracked walls of that gloomy tower on the small isle burdening the massive structure and its walls just next door. The bricks shuffled, bits of old mildew fell off, and the ominous clouds at its tip dispersed, but they all soon reformed. The withered structure never assumed much in status, from a mere hall of privacy to a container for endless tantrums. And the eerie castle to its side remained ever untouched and free of the burden.

From within, a green troll in rags came down the steps to meet the speaker. A diminutive figure pacing around the floor in a dragging black robe: bald with animal-like fangs jutting out a sneering lower jaw, and sporting a star-shaped birthmark upon his crown. His straying never went far from the makeshift throne with small gold statues daring to re-portray his gruesome features. A kingdom's worth of pride and self-obsession was likely contained in that impish form.

"A pleasant morning to you as well, Lord Kaos. What is this interesting thing?" The troll Glumshanks drawled. "Have you finally learned to count past three? Discovered some curative hair tonic?... Finally decided to get a job and move out? Because any one of those things would be more along the lines of a miracle…"

"The real miracle will be if I don't make you graze to mow the lawn again, you mutated wart!" He fumed. "No, recently something came to my attention. Somewhere out in the Skylands, a new presence just appeared, right out of the blue. Like, poof!"

"Well it's an interesting fact, sir, but a new person is born every day. Odds are you sensed that. And by the by, do NOT ask me to explain where babies come from…"

"For your information, I know where babies come from. The mothers call the stork to get a big machine-"

"Best to stop that train of thought there before the inevitable wreck."

"Fine!" Kaos catapulted towards the troll's face, sinisterly tapping his fingers. "But I still have my concerns about this new power, newborn or not. It could be the emergence of another Sky-loser, and there's enough of those pests running around. This could be a sign to move up my plans to destroy the Core of Light."

"Ah, yes. The source of all magic and balance in the Skylands."

"Exactly. The Ancients created it to preserve light and peace in the Skylands and keep the darkness at bay. The first Skylanders and Portal Masters used it during the Great War and for millennia since it has continued to serve that purpose."

"Thank you for the history lesson, sir." Glumshanks rolled his red-rimmed eyes. "…Even if one of us here actually did carry on with school and learned it himself."

He turned and clenched a fist with a devilish grin gracing his jaw. "Imagine, Glumshanks! Imagine how it will be when I, Kaooooos, destroy the Core of Light and dominate the Skylands! All will fear my name, all will bow before me as the Ultimate Super Extreme Doom Master of Darkness!"

Glumshanks crossed his arms. "No one could forget a title like that, sir. Though I believe I meant to ask this before, but what are these aforementioned plans you spoke of to finally destroy the Core?"

"I am glad you asked, my witless troll servant!"

Kaos walked across the circular room to a board completely covered in scratch paper and string, the culmination of a lifetime dedicated to the cause of evil. Each was inspired from his servant's prolonged suffering, and many dated back to his years in the tutelage of the finest and most devious scholars. When actually pitted against Skylanders, though, it led to many his eye ran across left trash-worthy like the crumpled pieces on the floor. But there were layers of ideas, and bits of information and footnotes demonstrating the mind many of his teachers praised as one that concocted with aims beyond simple torture. To his enemies' dismay, he was not so easily defeated or dismayed.

"Let's see…" Tension fueled his hand as he ripped a paper of him with a hammer from its spot. "I could get my mallet, go to the Core's location, and SMASH IT TO PIECES!"

"Well, two things sir. One, I'm pretty sure when the Ancients designed the thing, they made it mallet-proof. And second, smashing on any level will be something of a challenge when we don't know the Core's location."

Kaos stomped with a growl. "For once, you're right…"

"For once…" Glumshanks huffed.

"Idea two, then!" He ripped another drawing, this time of himself in a square. "I mail myself to that old fool Eon at his Academy. But here's the ruse – the package is labeled with a notice saying to send it to the Core of Light! He sends me there, then I DESTROY IT!"

"Where to begin with that one? The fact that Eon won't be fooled or that we'll rack up on postage?"

"ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT!" He snapped and stripped the board down to a large picture beneath depicting as much a fantasy as a plan. "Idea three! I bring Eon down and hold his beard hostage to get him to tell me where the Core is! He tells me, surprise! I ruin his dumb beard anyway, and then I DESTROY THE CORE! DESTROY, DESTROY, DESTROY!"

Blood racing, he ripped the drawing apart in his mad rant silencing the old man's recalled grandiose speeches of peace in his mind with every tear. Inky black orbs formed in his hands underneath the shredded pieces, spiking and churning uncontrollably. The toxic smolder of dark magic in his body steamed and lifted the impish child, lost in a tantrum dissolving into madness, into the air. The orbs in answer morphed into black lightning bolts that surged out at every random moment. They struck the surfaces of the surrounding columns, chipping away pieces like punches to the face.

Glumshanks flinched trying to speak while dodging the bolts and debris. "Well, sir – ah! That would, gah, be quite the, TASK! Though that would put you, ya-haa, against the Skylanders too!"

"And there's only one way that is going to end!"

Both turned and Kaos's frenzy ended at the sight of a tall woman who appeared out of thin air at the top of the steps. The imposing robes she wore melded into her shadow that ran behind her that took life and bent against the will of the light flowing into the room over every inch of his workspace. Her stature unmoving, the woman floated down the steps, fine jewelry giving an inner glow hinting at the power that flowed right down to her elongated, dismissive fingertips.

"Lady Kaossandra." Glumshanks stood at attention like Kaos noted he never did for him.

"Ah, Mother!" Kaos jerked open arms and gave the closest thing to a smile he could. "A pleasure to see you here in my humble lair, as always!"

"And as always, I'd hardly call it a pleasure being here." He went tense at her surveying gaze, showing possibly less approval than she did before. "But just when I think I'm at rock bottom, here I am trying to talk sense into you."

"What can I say? I am nothing if not driven as you well know…" He backed away holding the smile.

"Yes, with all the time you spend in this dump, I should hope you're actually going somewhere with this. I certainly don't see getting the outhouse back anytime soon."

"Fair assessment…" Glumshanks grumbled.

"Oh yes, I have been quite the busy bee." Kaos silenced the troll with a glare. "I know you have had concerns over the development of my powers, but let me allay those concerns now! With practice my power has grown, and I believe we'll all be impressed with the results. Watch!"

Kaos held out an open hand and the same dark blob formed again, stealing the ambient light around. He peered past his side at his mother watching and the blob became less and less shapely while growing. He shoved it forward and it sailed only a few inches before completely fizzling out. The moment it did, the light returned and all that had changed in the room was the caster with a twitching eye.

"Oh yes," Kaossandra clapped. "A little more and you'll have flies trembling before you."

"I have been getting better, I swear. Look around!" He gestured to the cracks in the columns. "Do you think I did that by making Glumshanks get rid of the old paint with his teeth? Which isn't a bad idea now that I think of it?"

"What you do with your little troll is none of my business, so let's just keep it that way."

"Mother, don't you see!?" Kaos blocked her path as she turned. "I need to go and attack the Core of Light! A new presence has appeared in the Skylands and it may mean the Skylanders are gathering new forces. Before those fools can get any stronger we need to make our move! So, please, please, can I destroy the Core of Light? Pretty please with sprinkles and rat poison on top?"

The woman raised her hand and Kaos's body became stiff and light all at once. Without control he was lifted in the air by a violet aura from his mother's palm and set to the side at the bottom of the steps. She turned to him again with a wrinkle-heightening frown. "I know about this new presence, I know that you know, and you can beg all you want, though please don't. You are not to approach it or the Core of Light. By any means."

"But mother!"

"Do not 'but mother' me, young man! I am fighting the urge to gag as I say this, but I want you here, under my watch. The Skylanders will be there at the Falling Forest, and you are no match for them." She finally walked away, her shadow again looming on the wall before vanishing.

The unnoticed troll finally stepped up while his master returned to his board of ideas. "…I suppose you'd be willing to listen for a change of pace, sir?"

"Hm, what was that? I wasn't listening." Kaos made the trudge up to his throne. He gripped at the armrests, scowl deepening and eyes narrowing.

"'Why were trolls born with mouths?' he looked to the stars and asked with the embers of frustration stirring."

"As much as it kills me, the Core will have to wait. The Sky-losers are the problem right now and if they are looking for this new power then I need to beat them to it." He rose from his throne and trudged his way back down with his arms folded. "Luckily my mother let slip that it's located in the Falling Forest. I have some friends there that I'm sure will be willing to lend me a hand in this endeavor."

"You mean the Greebles, sir?" Glumshanks gave the most emotion he had all morning and cocked an eye. "Those foul-mouthed, uncouth vagabonds?"

"The very same." Kaos exclaimed. "Though 'friends' is a strong word. I suppose 'servants' fits the description more."

"Just as long as there's a line somewhere there, sir…"

Kaos walked up to the steps where his mother stood and let the remnants of that powerful aura flow throughout him. The comparison between the two of them was as stark as where he stood versus his hundreds of desires on paper behind him. A wave of her hand and realms fell before his mother's power; he could only dream of such dominating force while cursed with feeble powers that made him nothing more than a laughingstock. The bones in his fingers cracked as he still envisioned a future beyond the humiliation, when one day his fingers would course with even greater power. Power enough to make the focus of those many sketches behind him reality.

"I will destroy the Core of Light, as it is my destiny to plunge the Skylands into eternal darkness! My evil legend begins here! All shall know the name of the Dark Portal Master, KAAOOOOSSS!" He laughed manically, the sound filling the single hall once again.

"Very good, sir…"

"Save the flattery, Glumshanks. I still feel like punishing you. The lair could use a new paint job, so GET THOSE CHOMPERS READY!"

"Ugh…"

* * *

Spyro pried open an eyelid viewing the orange morning sky, stifling a groan just as heavy. His arm swung from the railing of a large flying boat with his claw lazily tracing circles in the air while the other kept his head from dropping on the wood. If he closed his eyes again and gave some slow wing flaps, he could have imagined he was taking a peaceful flight of his own instead of being trapped on this dragging tub.

"Now you might want to hold onto your appendages, kiddos." Called the familiar voice of Flynn from the steering wheel. "This little maneuver takes a bit more control."

He'd performed aerial maneuvers nothing short of death-defying, going in a straight line could hardly be considered difficult. It was a surprise when the ship moved away from a passing cloud, hinting the ship was in motion. Ten minutes later, though, and that same cloud was still in sight.

At least his classmates found ways to pass the time – his teammates Wind-Up and Gill Grunt were chatting the long hours away discussing strategies for the next game. Other classmates Hex the Undead sorceress draped in black and two fellow female dragons, crystal-lined Flashwing and unicorn hybrid Whirlwind were enjoying what he only guessed as girl talk. There were his roommates Stealth Elf and Eruptor taking their time in researching the assignment, however pointless he found it. And everyone, no matter what they were doing, were for self-explanatory reasons keeping their distance from the back of the boat where Bad Breath was handling a round of air sickness.

Spyro shook his head and tapped the railing, though his clacking claws kept him from hearing the creaking footsteps behind. "A bit of discontent with the field trip, Cadet Spyro?"

The dragon turned to the rough stare of an eagle man, hands folded behind him, as stiff and dull as the worn blue armor he was clad in, bombarded with scratches. He stood perfectly at attention, his talons piercing the planks he stepped on, almost intolerant of the ground. He swore the aged bird was made of some metal as his bristled feathers looked like blades with his neck raised looking down on him.

Spyro smiled. "Oh, hey. What up, JV?"

"That's 'Professor Jet-Vac' to you! Formal reference has just as much a reason for being around as flight regulation!"

"Of course, of course…" He tapped the railing more letting his pupils wander.

"At attention, cadet!" Jet-Vac scolded. "Eon may give your lollygagging a free pass but don't expect the same courtesy with me! When I am speaking I expect eyes on me, just as I've got my eye on you! And what's more, I expect you to keep whatever crass comments you might have to yourself!"

"Shouldn't that be for after I actually say something?" The dragon cocked a playful brow at the birdman, who huffed and marched away.

With the warzone between the two of them clear, Eruptor trudged up and Stealth Elf popped in from the background dust clearly resisting the urge to shake their heads. Spyro went as earnest as possible with what he liked to call 'the cute dragon' to aid the effort. Their looks slapped down his charity remaining the same. "You might want to cut the class clown act, Spyro. You've caused enough trouble with Jet-Vac," advised the green elf.

"Moi? When have I ever been, quote-on-quote, a troublemaker?"

Their silence was an open scrapbook to the many times Spyro found himself faced with a pointing talon from his teacher. Though in his defense being on the receiving end of disciplinary action by Jet-Vac was about as easy as counting to ten when he'd been sent to the corner as a young dragon. Coming in even five seconds late, coughing in class, a single smudge on assignments, so that left his own list of cutting class altogether and pulling pranks on the old bird. It was no different from any other class, but Jet-Vac and his love for rigidity and rules took special offense.

"Okay, aside from a few rotting lizard gizzards I got from that place a few isles down, I mean what can I say?" The dragon scoffed hopping on the railing. "Classrooms don't really work for me. I'm a learn by doing type."

"You've been on the Skyball team since we started school and you still go and hog the spotlight, so I know that's a load of magma!" Eruptor glared. "You know I talked with Gill n' Wind-Up and they're still sore over that last game!"

"As sore as you were when that rogue sheep headbutted you down that hill three times?"

"You wanna know what made me really sore about that? When you dropped laughing every time!" The cracks between Eruptor's stones glowed. "Lemme tell ya, pal! NOT! HELPFUL!"

"Hey, I carried you to the nurse's! And as for the game, the guys were still working on some big plays and they weren't gonna be ready for the playoffs!" He laid back with his arms folded behind him, not even looking at the two. "I did them a solid, 'cause you know, that's just me being a good teammate."

"Uh, that's not really what teamwork is." Elf spoke.

"Well, it's fine. They can't be sore once we get to the Falling Forest and see some action." He sprung from his position down in front of them. "I'm itching for some myself, so hopefully we can get there sometime between now and graduation. Personally speaking, even a half-hour ago would have been preferable."

"Before that, Spyro, I'm hoping you can spare some precious time for a lesson," came the familiar voice of Jet-Vac, marching forward again. "Students!"

Before the dragon could blink he was hoisted up by his own Skyball teammates. Gill to his left and Wind-Up to the right took him from his spot and forward to where the birdman was waiting. "Hey, whoa! Easy!"

"What? We figured our star player would love being carried around." Gill grumbled.

"You don't have to grind your gears over the royal treatment." Wind-Up added.

"Hope you don't mind being stuck with… eerrrpp… the rest of us," came a gravelly voice from the back. All the dragon had to do was give a sniff of the rancid puff of air to guess who.

"Oh, come on! Bad Breath too!? That's just cruel!"

"Whatever it takes to get you to pay attention in my class." Jet Vac called out as the dragon was brought inches before him. Seeing no way of escape he huddled in, tapping his claws and flapping his tail stewing. He huffed at his teacher's raised beak.

"Now then, if I may continue. The Skylands are vast and infinite in their geography, as many of you who come from corners both near and far off can attest. Various areas here are where different sources of elemental energy can be found – these same elements, of course, powering our own abilities as we too fall in alignment to them. Knowing your element and your capabilities is key to mastering your abilities and becoming a proper Skylander. Magic is everywhere here in the Skylands, which is what enables said abilities, and…"

The long-winded speech hardly got through to Spyro who was fighting the urge to fall asleep. None of it was any new information that hadn't been shown to him as a hatchling by Master Eon's guiding hand anyway. The dragon was a quick study, he always told people, and it was no exaggeration as the knowledge of heroism and the world in which it was needed always just came to him. Regardless of what anyone said, he'd achieved the mantle before ever setting foot in the halls of Skylander Academy. Cracking an eye at the sky behind and all around, he was firm in that there was nothing else he needed to learn that he couldn't discover for himself. He was ready to be a Skylander now.

"Cadet Spyro!"

"Uh, ready! Here! Ten-four, roger!"

"Terribly sorry you find my class so boring but since this is most likely all review to you, I wonder if you'd care to answer a question for the rest of the class."

That sounded like a challenge. He smirked. "Fire away, teach."

Jet-Vac frowned. "Right. Pop quiz: All areas in the Skylands have their own element, and areas within those areas that fall under certain elements of their own. What elements are located in our destination, the Falling Forest?"

The dragon scoffed; it wasn't a challenge after all. "Yeeeaaaah, let's see. The Falling Forest is chock full of Life, which you can probably guess based on all the trees. Let's see, you've got the Owl's Roost, which goes with the Tech element, Pinecone's Landing which sticks with Life, and the Acorn Stash which uh… oh, right. That'd be Earth territory. Thank you, thank you, hold your applause."

The others would have been irked or impressed had it not been for their stifled chuckles at Stealth Elf's impersonation of him. Jet Vac was nowhere near as amused, with either of their attitudes it seemed, though Stealth Elf returned to full attention the moment his sight crossed with her. He turned to the other students with a huff and continued his lesson, leaving Spyro to fidget in place once again.

The unruly dragon whispered into Stealth Elf's ear next to him. "Hey. Seeing as that was 'review,' I think we can both agree that I don't really need to be here."

"Please tell me you're not saying what I think you're saying…" The elf glared.

"I'm just gonna take off and… get the jump on this assignment, no big deal."

"Very big deal, brainiac." Eruptor seethed from the other side. "This is a group assignment! That means we're supposed to stick together."

"Besides, in case you forgot, you're not on Jet-Vac's good side right now. He's watching you."

"That's where you guys come in." He wrapped his arms and wings around them both. "All you gotta do is make a little scene. JV and the class notice, and I make my brilliant escape. Feel free to fall back on the classic 'look over there' gag. Believe it or not he still falls for that one."

"Oh, so suddenly 'Spyro the Great' is asking his unworthy entourage for help? What an honor..." Eruptor grumbled.

"I want to say it's a step in the right direction." Elf muttered. "Though you are trying to cut class here, again."

"Not cutting, I said 'getting the jump.' We're just doing recon, so I'll take a quick fly-by around the area. I'll fill you in on what I find so you can add it to your report. Huh? Come on, guys, help a dragon out." The dragon went puppy-eyed at the elf, probably the tougher critic of the two. She glared and grabbed him by the horn.

"I'm only doing this because you begged, but just this one time. And I expect nothing less than A-worthy intel…"

Though in pain from the sudden seize, Spyro remained as cool and in control as always and gave a wink to her. Elf released his horn and he backed away and gave a nod to Eruptor. The living rock sighed and cleared his throat and took a deep breath, then spewed a sudden column of magma in the air. It sent the other students to the floor and stopped Jet-Vac's word dead in his throat. With his chance in sight, Spyro leaped off the side of the boat with no one the wiser.

"WHAT!? Only rock creatures got impulses?"

.

A smile spread on Spyro's face drifting through the fresh air, its length almost as infinite as the bare expanse. The smell of airship exhaust and repression was cleared from his nostrils for the first time in too long. Flipping upside down he bathed in those sweet golden rays working their sweet rejuvenating magic on his stiff wing joints as he stretched them out. He could swear there was a crack.

On a current of morning breezes, the dragon flowed along paddling his arms. His scales skimmed the surfaces of clouds as he bounced along the way, the cool moisture sending shivers down his form. He twirled and sailed in serene rings halfway down chuckling and letting his wings go limp curling along the larger cloud banks. No voices, no peers to butt in, no need for time to go by in a blink as he preferred. He breathed in and plummeted into the depths of an ocean of freedom, with the wish it could last forever.

For it was up above, on his own, where he felt on top of the world.

A blast of air hit Spyro's face and the dragon snapped to life accelerating. The clouds had gathered into a massive obstacle course where he swung, vaulted and whirled grazing them by the grit of his scales. His wings went straight like swords leveling them and carving sharp lines into their forms. He blinked as one stubborn cluster flew in his way and he crashed through shaking off the mist, glaring at the rest with a dangerous smile.

The dragon went into attack mode scooping wind into his wings and disintegrated an unlucky clump of cloud cluttering his airspace into mist. Flowing on momentum, claws bared, he launched an uppercut towards one above, then a spin into one more with a tail whip. The count piled in a ring of combo strikes in a stylized dragon martial art, and the daring finish of shooting upward into a massive bank. In seconds the cluster was consumed in a halo of bright flame.

"Woo-hoo!" the blaring cheer came with all the breath he had to spare. "Let's see 'Greatest Flyer Ever' Flynn pull that off!"

But at the sight of the massive isle with scores of trees, it all stopped. Hundreds of miles in the air, panting hard from the rush of pretend combat and school life came back with a vengeance. He was used to it; the flashes of life uninhibited before the annoying recall years were waiting before he could forever savor it.

Never one to be hindered, the dragon crashed to the ground. He smirked at how his heroic pose caught just the right angle of sunlight to send enemies fleeing. Head high, he marched into the thick of the Falling Forest.

Aside from the areas he mentioned, much of the Falling Forest remained a mystery to anyone standing opposite villainy. Timid bystanders had given it many names: 'The Forest of Fiends,' 'Haunted Hollows,' and the dramatic 'That Which Must Not Be Named.' But Spyro only shook his head when remembering those names had been given by Mabus who thought a twig snapping was some horrific entity from beyond the grave. The only truly terrifying thing in his opinion was how trees couldn't stay up for more than a week here. The Falling Forest was named solely for its too-fragile nature.

Spyro walked further, mist and gloom beginning to form at his feet, and he heard those same rustlings. His scales went on edge, sensing a hint of danger at every corner. He crouched low and tensed his limbs like springs ready to pounce.

"Well, well, well. This oughta be fun."

At once he burst at the bush to his right, then the tree to his left, then the rock going forward. With sharp grunts he pounced at every speck in his path on the way to… something lying in wait. And it smelled strange, familiar yet at the same time, like something entirely new.

* * *

The surrounding scenery began to look less like a forest to Cody's wide eyes as his steps forward became less straightened. He'd hardly developed a sense of time after cooping himself up in his own home for so long, but he had guessed some time had passed since his little… spell. Wandering, he flinched away at every new sound that came up, two steps back and sideways for every half-step forward. He tried to hide behind trees but quickly returned to the path when some new sound came from behind.

"W-What do I do?... Maybe…"

He reached for his phone inside his pocket hoping the miracle that was GPS could help shed some light on his current predicament. But when his fingers brushed on wool when grasping for the familiar metal, he realized with a grimace he made the mistake of leaving his phone at home. He wanted to slap himself for being the cautious person he was yet forgetting to keep his phone on his person as he'd been instructed. Just one more mistake for the list.

"Of all the times… I had to pick now to be a total space case?"

So to summarize, he was in some unknown forest in the air with no means of knowing just where he was and no way of contacting anyone for help. The wooziness came back tenfold bringing him down by a small rock underneath a tree with little to no foliage. He dragged his head around at the scenery and sounds and wondered if it was something he now had to become accustomed to. If he had to have a prison he preferred it to be his little room where he could stay and do nothing, with no strange sounds or stones, all of technology's benefits and sweet silence. Not some bungle of disturbing trees hiding something that could likely swallow his skinny frame in one gulp.

Cody crouched in with tears forming. This was probably where he was going to die.

A crack louder than any other he had heard in all the miserable time he had been here sounded behind him. He scurried back wondering the predator that fate had marked for him had come sooner than expected. But even with that thought in mind, he grabbed the nearest rock and waited at the edge of the grass, gulping.

"Come on… looking for a…. Show yourself…!"

The boy looked around frantically, swearing he saw movement. He couldn't say he was looking for death. His grip slipped with that thought and he shut his eyes shuddering.

"The name's… I am…"

He couldn't do this. But… trying was better than nothing.

* * *

The dragon raised his wings at the top of a massive tree and glided down. He gained speed and crashed once again. The plants shook from the force, almost cowering themselves as he hoped his hiding enemy would.

"Come on, any bad guys around looking for a butt-whooping? Show yourself and I'll at least make it quick!"

Spyro leapt into the branch of another tree and cast his gaze down into the thick. Twitching at the silence he whipped his tail on the bark, cleaving the end and bringing it to the ground. He raised his wings to their furthest.

"The name's Spyro the Dragon! I am a Skylander!"

The bushes were right in sight and his cry had caught the attention of whatever was hiding in there. His eyes went focused and he leapt down into the thick. His smile ever present, he crept slowly, through each blade of glass with silent crackles under his claws. Further through the thick undaunted by their irritating rubs blocking the way, until he spotted something gazing back, an arm raised.

And the two came face to face.

* * *

 **And here is chapter three, folks. From our main baddie's intro to the fated meeting between our two main characters. This is where things really start to move along.**

 **In terms of writing, I'd like to say this is a big step forward for me. It's not quite where I want it to be, but I think I am getting there. Most writers, especially the beginning ones like to use flowery words like something out of a Shakespeare book because it's so enticing, and it makes you sound distinguished. But what's important is that you try and stick to the POV of the character and portray their thoughts and emotions at every moment. That for whether you go 1** **st** **or 3** **rd** **person. If you want to make it sound better, probably save that for editing – it really does help to have another person read it though. Let me know what you think of my style in the reviews or a PM.**

 **Speaking of which, let's get on to the reviews:**

 **Scrappy Doo Fan** **: Don't worry, I am here and I deliver. With my schedule I try to keep updates between a couple of weeks, one for some of the shorter chapters whenever those may be so that is around what you can expect. I am taking classes at college soon so I don't know if I will still be able to stick to that, but we'll see.**

 **Foxchick1** **: This is just the beginning. There is plenty more ahead.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: Nice to see you're becoming a regular. And I love that you feel so engrossed in it, that's probably one of the highest praises a writer can get.**

 **Rocker77889** **: You sent me a PM but I did want to bring it up again because I feel you gave some good points that could serve as very useful advice to other writers. Taking the time to flesh out scenes, settings and characters so that they actually have a sense of depth to them as opposed to just showcasing OCs in an Indy 500 of a plotline. What's more there is the need to make sure characters, especially OCs, have room to develop and showcase their personalities as well as their abilities. I am still getting the hang of it because sometimes I feel every aspect of a character must be shown in every individual scene, but I just have to keep in mind that everything has a time and a place. There is room for me to show that Spyro is cocky in one scene, and friendly in another. Again, sorry I wasn't able to follow your advice, but I hope you'll keep reading.**

 **On another note, I wonder if anyone can give some advice. I have noticed at certain points over the last couple of weeks that there have been times when my story disappears from the listings, and reappears moments later. Should I contact the admins about this or what? I'd be grateful, if the admins take notice, if they could resolve this issue.**

 **Anyways, that's it for me. As always, review, favorite, follow! Next chapter is the outcome of this important face to face so stay tuned. Chaos away!**


	4. The Fated Meeting

_When I first met you, a lot of things were going on in my head. When we spoke, it just left me with plenty more._

 _Who you really were, just what kind of person I was talking to was… up in the air._

"Aah!" The boy screamed.

"Aah!" He screamed back.

"Aah!"

"Aah!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Both leapt back into the nearest cover they could find. For Spyro, it was into the thick grass where he crouched low and blended in. He had just caught the hand of the other sneaking behind the curved tree. The dragon panted hard, and steeled himself with an ember-filled huff once the shock had passed, blocking out the decomposing scent of the foliage. He pressed his head to the ground, rocks and roots hard on his scales, but kept his claws firm in the dirt waiting for movement.

There was the sound of the other's short breaths kept silent and the stench of sweat running down his face when Spyro tuned in. Stirring from the grass, he caught an arm gripping onto the tree that needed no focus to see the heavy trembling. A breeze had rolled in, just the touch cracking the bark of the branches with jutted-out edges like spines, sending them both back. The minutes passed, with the plants rustling in a tense silence, shook occasionally by more trees collapsing or the cry of some creature varied in distance; he swore nature was messing with them. And the only move made by the other was to hide more.

While it was a reaction he expected from any enemy, he could hardly call this one, a kid he guessed, hostile. In fact, there wasn't much he could call him – a face and body like what he saw wasn't exactly the norm in the Skylands. And for the Skylands, that was saying something.

A fallen red leaf landed on his nose and he twitched it away, realizing then that his wildfire nerves had suddenly simmered. He raised his head and peered past the leaves following to where his sight would always go. Like a jet some old-new flame was igniting in his chest, and with a couple of blinks it sucked the tightness right out of his claws.

There was much Spyro could say he had seen in his life, but most of what filled that list was pictures from a book. Pictures and words that described them as the tallest or hottest or farthest of something, and from there he would let his imagination do the work. But his wings would always get dull with fantasy alone, when he knew they were given to him to take him places and show him things he had never seen. He wanted new, some great thrill he couldn't count on the typical 5 classes a day to bring. Right now, he realized, that was right behind that tree.

He needed to get a closer look at that boy. The dragon's whole body near incinerated, he jumped from the leaves and tiptoed not so peacefully out. Even so, he stayed put while stretching his neck out as far as possible.

"Hey!" He called. "Come on out. I'm not gonna bite."

After the few extra seconds Spyro raked at the ground, the boy finally peeked out. He stared back wide eyed and clearly holding his breath, giving Spyro the chance to take his whole form in. His clothing stuck out at first, that purple shirt drawing his eye in particular: the deep color matching his own polished scales made it like those regal robes he'd seen Eon wear. But it was covered by the shadow of that raggedy old jacket he tugged at, nearly ripping the sleeve.

He yelped when Spyro dashed forward stopping just an inch from collision. "Whoooaaa… what the heck are you?"

"A-Ah-"

"You look a lot like Master Eon, but smaller and with a lot less facial hair. I'm pretty sure this is flesh you've got but wow, I almost didn't think skin could get that pale." He leaned in close and began to hover all around. "Some bags you've got there – I could carry groceries in those things. Might want to get some shut eye sometime." From the face he flipped behind and raised his right arm. "And gee, what thin limbs you have, but I guess all the better to fit into… very worn clothing with. I mean, I like a guy who believes in recycling but come on." He sniffed again, making the boy flinch. "You know you don't have to flinch all the time. I said I wasn't gonna bite and I'm not sniffing you for taste, if you're wondering."

"W-W-W-What is… y-y-you're a… w-wha-"

"I take it you've never seen a dragon before? Well I mean, seriously doubt you've seen one this good-lookin'!"

"A d-dragon…" He muttered. "A t-t-talking dragon?"

"Hey, talking is but one of my numerous talents! Breathing fire, smashing boulders, flying, this genuine article can pull out all the stops!"

"W-Wha…"

"Oh, right. Sorry, I usually go by titles like 'amazing' or 'incredible' from my many admirers, but you can call me Spyro!" He zipped to the ground and struck a pose at the mention of his name. He gave a silent nod to return the introduction. "Feel free to slap one of those on at the end, though!"

Before the boy was able to get a few words out, but now he was down to mere whimpers. The reception became even worse when soon enough, he just let his jaw hang open with shock that he could see was slowly dissolving into fear. Spyro grimaced with the possibility that he would just go back to hiding behind the tree again or worse, run off in panic and risk hurting himself or falling off the edge.

Never once did the dragon think leaving people speechless would work against him. But every minute the boy remained silent was age-long moments of Spyro's eyes bulging, goosebumps forming between his scales, or his insides burning themselves all over for a peep. Even then there were only more animal calls to break the revived silence he felt could be better filled with answers to his rapidly rising questions. Already his mind was roused into some outer frontier with wild ideas, and real answers, he felt, could come no sooner even if he spiraled around the boy until time started speeding up. Maintaining his beaming that now felt near mechanical, he hoped at some point something would flip a switch and get the boy to talk. If only there was a way to just reach in and pull the secrets right out.

His feverish curiosity was given relief with the kid's relaxed shoulders once he sat down. Spyro blinked and rose again only for the boy to go tense, and relaxed again once he sat once more. It seemed he could flex a claw and this kid might scream, and there was an unsteady wobble in his knees. Spyro wanted to pinball along the oak of every tree, but he would only react well to a cute, well-behaved dragon welcoming him to a land of sunshine and rainbows.

Too much high-maintenance for his taste.

"Soooo… yeah." The dragon rolled his eyes. "Spyro. And you are…?"

"Y-Y-You're talking…" The boy finally forced out from a blurt to mutterings. "I, I'm dreaming. That's it. This is all just one big, wacky dream. Note to self: leftovers and fantasy books are not a good combination."

"Hey, trust me kid, you're not dreaming. Take a good look, you're here, I'm here, we're both here."

"But… you're a dragon! Dragons aren't real. This has to be some-some kind of hallucination. Maybe I've been sleeping too much and this is some crazy daydream or-OW!"

Spyro had pinched him. He swore it wasn't as hard as the boy was making it out to be though. "Believe me now?"

"That really hurt. So then… this is really happening... I'm too scared to scream." The boy's eyes wandered. "But if this is real, then… where am I?"

"Folks around these parts call it the Falling Forest." He leapt and flew around encompassing the whole of the area. "Not the best case for a vacation, or field trip in this case, but beggars can't be choosers."

"Falling… Forest?"

"Yeah, you know, part of the Skylands?" The dragon tilted his head.

"The what-lands?"

"Not what, Sky. Skylands, land in the sky. Lots of land, but a whole lot more sky."

"I don't know what that is." He shied away and grasped his jacket. "I_I don't know how I even got here in the first place."

Spyro blinked circling around. "Uh, seriously? You don't know how you ended up here? I mean it's obvious by now you're not a local but come on. It's not like you just went poof, out of nowhere, and suddenly ended up here."

"No… I think… I think I'm lost."

Spyro froze. "Wait, lost? Did you say 'lost?'"

"Um… yes?"

The dragon skipped a beat closer grabbing the other's tense shoulders again. "As in, lost lost? As in, you're in trouble? As in you're classified as a person or party in distress and need of assistance, possibly of the heroic variety? That's where you're going with this!?"

"I'm not… going anywhere," he looked away. "But… yes?"

"YES!" Spyro shot into the air with loops and turns by the second. The laughing that went with it was so happy it bordered on manic.

"This is perfect! A mysterious kid from who knows where AND he's in trouble? It's practically a search and rescue mission, only without the searching! I just gotta help get him back home, and then Eon and the others are gonna be so impressed! Then they'll have to make me a Skylander! And when I'm a Skylander I can finally get out of that stinkin' school! What should be first on the old post-grad travel list, Leviathan Lagoon, Quicksilver Valley? Maybe even that old Arkeyan Armory! Oh, who cares, just think! No more textbooks, no more lousy mess hall food, no more rules, no more curfew, heck no more Jet-Vac!"

"Uh…" The boy called out with surprisingly high volume from the ground. Spyro had been so caught in his ramblings and panting from zigzagging so much he just noticed.

"Oh! Was I… saying all that out loud?"

"Y-Yes…?" The boy shied away and huddled into himself again. He had only known him for a few minutes and Spyro could already tell that was something of a habit for him. It was hard to hold onto his own energy when the boy's sullen looks were casting out a bubble that was killing his good vibes. "Thanks for… offering, but I don't know if you can help… I probably deserve this anyway. Not how I pictured this, but…"

"Say what?"

Once again, the boy remained silent. Clearly, he didn't count on the good hearing of most dragons.

"Oh-kay, I think you've been in distress a little too long. We better get you back home before rain clouds start sprouting on top of your head." With the aid of flapping wings, he pulled the near-weightless boy to his feet. He grasped his shoulders and forced him down when the boy wobbled on his feet. Like he was on fire the boy pulled away, but he still grinned. "I'm starting to think I should just call you 'Flinchy,' since I don't know if I'm ever gonna get an actual name out of you." He bumped his shoulder. "Last chance, kid."

"Um… my name's… C-Cody…"

The dragon blinked; he wasn't expecting an answer. "Cody, huh? Short and sweet, I like it. But maybe try putting a little style on it, like 'Code,' the 'Code-Man', 'Bro-Code'…

For once, the forest was paid no mind, Spyro rambling on and on as the two started their trek down the nearby path. The Falling Forest went as it always did, trees crashed and animals chirped, but his loud volume blurted them all out. Cody still jumped at every sound, though that had become common, but he still stood out. For once, Spyro thought, there was something new. And that made the dragon's spirits bright marching on.

* * *

Cody must have had his own thoughts, but Spyro would say he was crazy. Panic-fueled thoughts at most, because he would say that they were lost. But they weren't.

Fog had started to loom in, and the woods had taken a turn for the creepier, calm chips and whistles had turned into menacing screeches and pungent rot now surged up Spyro's nostrils. Grinning wide he couldn't help but pounce, slide, soar over and climb on every part of the scenery once again. He bounded between the walls of trees between their road and vanished into the leaves of a nearby one. Spyro would have called it 'exploration.'

It had barely been an hour's walk and the orange hue of morning was replaced with paint-thick grayness leaving shadows barely visible. The husks of weeds and large rocks outnumbering the trees that had long-since collapsed and rotted in this suddenly more foreboding area wasn't much for scenery either. Still, it beat a lecture in a classroom or mountains of homework covering the same. The thrill of it all making his scales stand on end was worth apparently losing all sense of time as he always seemed to.

He peeked his head out, sending leaves falling. "Hey! You know what the cool part is about coming this far out into another island?"

"What?"

"You never know when something's gonna jump out at you just asking for some third-degree burns!" He leaped onto another branch and back onto the ground. "Wouldn't a real villain or some kind of horrible monster be just like the cherry on top for this whole thing!?"

"Not really…"

Spyro smiled. "Ever the unbending rock, huh? Suit yourself."

Cody himself had become more silent, no longer being startled at every noise, though was breathing hard in place of words when trying to keep up. How this boy lacked any kind of sense of adventure that was only natural given his circumstances was lost on him. As far as Spyro was concerned every dying shrub was a red carpet to reality that he was desperate to walk.

"I'm gonna look around. When you're out in the field, it's always a good tip to stay aware of the territory. Pretty basic stuff." He jumped up into the air and scanned his surroundings.

It was a long expanse of reds and greys blending in on each other, a murky sky atop oversized, rattling twigs sprouting from the ground. But there was also that thin howling breeze that sent his scales buzzing, and the fine line of orange daylight beneath the clouds at the horizon catching his eye, dazzling and all-encompassing, like it reached out to the end of eternity. An end was a beginning, but a beginning was also an end, a thought so confusing and yet breathtaking as it came to him.

Though his earliest memories from when he had hatched were on this island, he had never ventured this far into it. Some random patch of woodland had been the only taste of the world he'd had before Eon found him and carted him away for the sake of harnessing potential. And while he was grateful, it likely wouldn't be long before he'd have to go back to his prison of higher learning and the next chance to see it would be during the next school year.

Though he had almost forgotten the chance was closer than he thought. The dragon blinked and looked down at his red-headed ticket to freedom, returning to his side.

"So… Code! where'd you say your home was, again?"

"I don't think you'll find it. I wouldn't even bother looking."

Spyro landed down quick as a wink. "You wouldn't want to underestimate these peepers. I once spotted Master Eon doing beard-ups halfway across the Academy one time."

"Still… there's no point. I don't think I'm anywhere near my home." Cody walked to the sturdiest stone he could find and sat. "All I know is I find this weird shooting star that crashes in my yard, and the next thing I know, I'm here."

"Well if that's your story and you're sticking to it… sounds like there's no time for permission slips!" Spyro burst into the air again with a toothy smile. "As a wise dragon once told himself in the mirror, when you're a hero you sometimes end up getting the short end of the stick. And as much as I love dropping jaws and blowing minds at school I am willing to sacrifice of myself in the name of civic duty! And I won't take no for an answer!"

"But… I'm causing you problems…" He turned away.

Spyro turned to face him again. "Hey, if that's what you're worried about, there is one way you can make it up to me. I mean, when all this is over, if you could provide something like, I don't know, testimony regarding that I was willing to selflessly protect you from danger to get you back safe and sound?"

"…Maybe I should just go…"

"WHAT!?" The dragon and his elated mood were weighed down to ground level again. "Nononono, you-you can't! If you go, how am I supposed to get… I mean, who's gonna help you get home?"

Cody's eyes strayed from the dragon's piercing plead. "Uh… what about that Master Eon guy you keep mentioning? He sounds pretty important."

"Eon?"

"I-I mean… you call him 'Master,' so… he must know something…"

The dragon went stiff and locked his jaws. He'd rather not let an angry burst of fire follow the unintentional information slip out. Still his wings fell flat, and he drew lazy circles in the ground. "Uh, well… yeah. I mean, Master Eon is the one who leads all the Skylanders and built Skylander Academy so he could train new ones. He's fought in a bunch of wars and he protects all the Skylands and he's a pretty powerful wizard overall."

"REALLY!?" A voice called. "You think he's more powerful than me!?"

The two bared down at the sudden sound, Cody falling on his rear. From atop a large rock overlooking the area the overhead grew darker with the figure that loomed up. Kaos, his arms folded behind them, gave a wicked face-crunching smirk that Spyro only snarled at with his mouth searing with building flame.

Kaos snapped his fingers and from out of nearly every crack came disgusting creatures with bulbous eyes and oversized limbs, all coated in various colors of flesh. They chattered and growled and chuckled all around, some swinging from the trees and others hopping in place. The two looked around seeing no escape, surrounded by scores of the creatures that increased by the second.

"Imagine my luck!" The evil child cackled. "I come here to investigate the appearance of a new power, and I find a Skylander to destroy as well! And it's not even my birthday!"

"Oh, yeah?" Spyro smiled, suddenly as giddy as he was earlier. "Imagine my surprise when I'm out of the gym and I find another dummy for target practice!"

"Dummy? How dare you call the great Kaos a target dummy!"

"Hey, can you blame me with that decorated cranium of yours? Surprised you don't rent yourself out for birthday parties, kids love balloons!"

The two had switched roles and now Kaos was the one fuming while Spyro was smirking on the verge of laughter. "Here this you glorified salamander! I am _Kaaaaoooossss_ , the most evil and powerful Portal Master to have ever come to the Skylands! You will know my name and fear it!"

"Really?" The dragon cocked an eyebrow snickering. "'Cause we tend to rank some of the problems we got here in the Skylands. I think you're right there between plumbing problems and infestations."

"WHAT!? I don't even rank up there with littering!?"

By then Spyro was rolling on the ground laughing. Cody had been watching the exchange and clearly wasn't able to make heads or tails of it. Even in his fit the dragon could see as much, and note his enemy's hired help was joining him in mocking the evil child. He stopped at the roar that came from atop the rock, accompanied by flashes of lightning, still snickering.

"So, Eon and his Skylanders don't see me as a threat! In that case, let me change that!" He pointed forward. "Greebles, attack!"

Spyro bared down menacingly but with a wide smile. "…Mess with the dragon, you get the flame!"

The Greebles charged at once, but Spyro flipped into the air. It became a multicolored mess when the Greebles collided into each other. Cody himself had to roll out of the way and take cover behind a nearby tree. A Greeble came and tried to strike with a club, earning a scream. His attacker only gave half a chuckle before having its neck wrapped with a scaly noose and being slammed left and right. Spyro tossed his enemy towards the other, striking down another bunch of them. He zoomed forward and gave a successive launch of fireballs like meteors that had the Greebles running.

The dragon backstroked inches in the air along the scores of Greebles, each making his way with their clubs raised from ground or leaping from the trees. Without even looking the dragon would turn hard leaving the creatures to slam into each other. Before long the entire army had been cast into confusion and was ejected by a horn slam or a stream of flame from their single opponent.

Cody had been watching and nearly tearing the bark with tense fingers. "You know, speaking of target dummies you're actually looking at some more!"

He looked up to see the dragon hopscotching along the trees, ducking and leaping at odd branches. Greebles reaching for him would only headbutt each other before falling. Somehow the threat of capture and injury had dodged him, and he was treating it as little more than recess.

"Wha…"

"Yeah, Super-Skull's henchmen here? You can literally order these guys by the dozen from that 'Minions Monthly' catalog! That's what bad guys get for advertising to the entire free world!" He laughed.

Cody blinked.

"We order these guys ourselves back at the Academy! Like I said, training dummies." He flew in close, distractedly grabbing and slamming another victim. "Between you and me… oh, what the hey, we might as well let Mr. Evil Portal Master of Evil know, honestly the straw copies are way tougher. At least then there's the threat of allergies!"

The dragon started breathing in, holding a claw to his nostrils, feigning a sneeze. Instead of air, another fireball the size of a boulder came surging and leaving toasted Greebles in its wake. It collided with a tree next to Kaos, setting off a massive explosion. Suddenly the evil child was knocked from his perch, and the dragon cheered with small loops and his own aerial victory dance, ending with his name in big flaming letters and a dramatic, muscle-flexing pose.

"Oh yeah! Spyro for the win, baby!"

Kaos growled from the ground. "So this dragon has more than hot air! It matters not!"

"You know no one likes a sore loser so why don't you take your own hot air and fly home, balloon boy?" He landed on the ground checking his claws. "I think I hear your mommy calling, anyway."

"Hahaha! Don't make me laugh as I did just at that moment! I'll have you know that my mother never calls me!" Kaos dusted his robe free of dirt. "And to further the update, I'm not done! It's true that Greebles are up for hire and I've been saving my allowance so there's plenty more where this round came from! Minions, come forth and attack!"

But even with his shrill command, nothing happened. The only Greebles out on the battlefield were the ones pummeled, singed, and unconscious. The three still present looked around for any sign that the hilarious carnage would continue, but nothing.

"What the- Where are my-?"

He turned to the rock again with the sound of mumbling. Peeking behind, there was Glumshanks with the second round of his attack force. "And so I told the director 'you can't expect me to play Demetrius! The portrayal of this character and the subtext reinforcing it is in direct contrast with the themes you're trying to incorporate. I don't care if you did graduate from some major playwright school, the fact that a philistine like you thinks he can go around and,' well, I think any true fan of the theatre would know where I'm going with-"

"GLUMSHANKS! I am trying to lead an evil army and take over the world here!" He pulled the troll by the ear. "Now give me my minions back or you'll be center stage for a real-life tragedy!"

"Wonderful use of word play, sir…"

Kaos only growled and snapped his fingers, sending the Greebles loose. Spyro leapt and launched a series of fireballs at them, bringing them down. He'd heard their shuffling and the troll's talking before Kaos had even mentioned them.

But…

"Aaah!"

The dragon nearly jumped out of his scales hearing Cody's scream from behind him. The boy had been seized by another pack of Greebles and forced to his knees. "L-let go!"

"Hey!" Spyro tried to move forward but had his tail dragged back by another Greeble. Soon he himself was pinned down by two more. They jumped on him and seize his wings so he had no chance of escape.

Spyro growled and struggled grasping for the nearest rock as Kaos strutted over with a smirk. What he thought was an easy victory had turned into a hostage situation brought about by opponents any real Skylander would have beaten blindfolded. He felt his head yanked up by the horns to see the wicked child make his way over to Cody. All he could appreciate then was that his classmates were nowhere nearby to watch a blunder that never should have happened.

"Well that took longer than expected, but I guess all's well that ends bad." He glanced back at Spyro. "It seems I've been dealing with a cadet all this time. A true Skylander would have known not to let his guard down."

"You little-!"

Kaos laughed and turned to the terrified Cody, lifting him by the chin with an electrified finger. He hummed forcing Cody's face back and forth. "There can be no doubt now. The power I was sensing was you… though I'm finding it a little hard to believe. I had thought it was something serious… but there's nothing special about you at all, is there? Oh well! Might as well take the chance to destroy your friend over there!"

His hands glowed and Spyro's scales went vibrant with the glow of purple lightning around him. Pain coursed through him like thousands of needles stabbing him over and over. No part of his body would respond to him, unbending like lifeless metal, to give the jerk before him a solid blow to his cranium.

"Skylander or cadet, let it be known that you never stood a chance against me. You were a confident one, and you can take greater pride in knowing you were the first of many. Now, to end you!"

Spyro was lifted into the air, forcing open his eyes as his limbs had only begun to move with his continued struggling. His insides screamed with the surges of dark magic, and all around were cackles from the Greebles eager for the satisfaction of seeing him rent apart. But he would break free. He had proven to anyone who had denied that he was ready for whatever challenge the Skylands had to throw at him. Terrifying power was meant to snuff out his flame as Kaos wanted, but it burned instead with the thrill of the moment in the young dragon, managing a grin with focus on the vision of the eventual overturn.

Forcing open his eyes, he could make out Cody's face watching scared in a series of blurs. It was alright, Spyro thought, the boy would just be that much more surprised and in awe himself when he broke free. But just when he'd nearly regained full control of his arms...

"NO!"

Cody's scream forced his vision into clarity. A bright purple flash appeared all around the young boy's body pulsing and stirring a gust around him. In an instant it expanded into a purple field. The shockwave blasted all the Greebles away and even Kaos, knocking them in all directions into trees, rocks, and bushes. As quick as it came, the shockwave dissolved.

The boy stared at his hands, and Spyro, freed and fallen onto the ground, only stared at him, both undoubtedly with the same thought.

"What just happened?"

* * *

 **Well, well, well. It seems Kaos got what he wanted and more. And things have taken a turn in the grand scheme of things now that the two stars of the show have finally met.**

 **At least I hope thoughts of what next have stirred in you all. Honestly, I'm not too sure if this chapter went exactly the way I wanted it to. Probably because I didn't have too clear a vision here as I did with other parts of the story. I could just be the fact that I'm comparing my writing style to others' too much and it came out clunky as a result or that this chapter just didn't have as much an impact as I wanted it to. Then again, all that I can do is reflect on what went wrong and improve it for the chapters ahead; meanwhile you guys can tell me what you thought of things yourselves.**

 **I will tell you what I thought of your guys' reviews! Without further ado:**

 **Bookwriter94** **: I'm glad to have you on-board. It sounds like I can count on you for some good analysis. Hopefully you got your money's worth seeing what has happened now that these three main players have collided with one another. As for your question at the end of the review, I can't really say since that will be spoilers, so be sure to check it out once things progress – this is only the beginning.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: I haven't seen the live-action Maleficent, which I assume is the one you're talking about, but I'm glad you liked it. I am thinking I need to do more of what I did here in this chapter – break the action down piece by piece – instead of just giving a summary of things.**

 **Guest** **: Happy to have you back on Fanfiction, and I am glad my take on things is enjoyable for you. Having fun is exactly what I'll do!**

 **Rocker77889** **: I know that you contacted me in another PM but I feel like I should mention you here again. I am aware how this chapter ended and let me assure you this isn't the end of this problem right now for Spyro and Cody. Though given the general gist of Skylanders fanfics you probably know where this is headed. Still, this 'Deus-Ex Machina' brand of solution where everything ends with the random appearance of an instant fix is the sort minefield I am trying to avoid because I have done all the no-no's for writers in the past – creating Mary Sues, offering instant solutions, showing bias between characters, and basically stuffing whatever I can think of in a story because I think it's cool. As I mentioned, I want this to be as developed as an actual story that can stand on its own two legs.**

 **Of course I won't try and provide baseless justification for any mistakes I made, but I will try and point out my thought process if anyone is curious for how things went. Overall, I don't know if I can say I am fully satisfied since everything didn't go exactly according to plan, but in a sense maybe I am happy that this still followed the general gist that fits in with the story overall.**

 **As always, review, favorite, follow! What could happen next now that things have gotten to this point? Keep following to see! Chaos away!**


	5. A Portal Master

Spyro didn't quite catch who spoke the question, the only summary for the situation. Maybe it was him, but he couldn't even recall. Like time had been stopped his body, rooted by claw into the dirt, had gone numb to the multiple spasms racing through. The lingering echoes of Cody's scream ringing in his ears had all but accomplished the impossible and held him still for the first time in his life.

His still active pupils went streaking across the area, making sense of it all like one of Jet-Vac's dreaded lessons. The trees nervously gripped their own leaves to not let a single fall while the outgrown weeds went stiff like steel. And in the center was Cody, whimpering, within a ring of seared and blown-out dust and leaves with scattered sparks surging out. His pupils raced with the specks of light as they appeared, the chase waking his own thoughts with silent breaths of awe as the sound of ignition. The dragon's muscles buzzing, he took a revitalized step forward casting his gaze around.

From the bushes, pained groans brought Spyro's attention back to Kaos and the Greebles, their bodies splattered across the clearing and lost in the foliage. Many of them showed no signs of moving, he noted darting quicker amongst them, having been knocked unconscious. A quick look was all he cared to take as their stench wouldn't have given any better answers.

"I-I, wha, h-how did, how did-"

Behind him, it seemed Cody was just now breaking from the stun himself. And Spyro was finally brought back into full reality with an instant replay of a timid boy unleashing a force that blew a legion of villains everywhere. At that mental checkpoint his entire form had gone into overdrive, accelerating with thoughts and a rush of energy beyond anything he had conceived before.

The dragon could hardly contain himself and charged over, swirling around the boy rattling his tense shoulders. "Well, check you out, tough guy! I didn't know you could use magic!"

Cody's eyes shot open, but he couldn't utter a word. His spell might have taken all the force out of him.

"Though I guess a trial by fire's the best way to figure that sort of thing out." He gave Cody a nudge in the shoulder. "Got some distance with that forcefield. I can still see the sheen from Mega-Melon's skull but you could spot that from the other end of the Skylands, so points!"

It wasn't as impressive as anything he could have done, an accurate assumption in the case of raw talent versus skill. But far be it from the dragon to rain on the parade in progress.

"Yes, points… now allow me to even the score!"

Their foe emerged from the shrubs, but the sheen Spyro had mentioned was lost in clods of dirt all over his head and robe with the odd twig or leaf sticking out. Clearly winded, he trudged forward unstable and breathing hard, a dark orb the size of an acorn formed spluttering in his hand. It was an almost pitiful sight, but any Skylander, including Spyro himself, could say that Kaos had a talent in rebounding, if nothing else.

"You sure you want to keep doing this?" Spyro still joked with a smirk. "I mean you look like you're ready for the final buzzer, and I'm still here so, well, game over."

"I am nothing if not persistent, little dragon..."

"Don't go limiting yourself there, pal. Just don't expect anything flattering."

Kaos scoffed while a fraction of his Greeble attack force came forward behind him with their clubs as crutches. "It seems my miscalculation was a miscalculation, or it wasn't a miscalculation, unless I miscalculated that and- oh, whatever! I can see clearly that boy is every bit the nuisance I predicted him to be when I first sensed him, so best to nip this in the bud! I will conquer all of Skylands, and not you, nor him, nor anyone will stand in my way!"

"How 'bout I **fly** in your way!"

Spyro took to the skies as Kaos's orbs struck his takeoff point missing Cody by a hair. The dragon darted left and right to dodge the speedy rounds, dust trailing along his wingtips like ribbons. His pulse revived to top speed, with Kaos's temper a close second if that building scowl Spyro grimaced at with a grin was hint. His dodges quickly became more stylized, adding twirls and spins when that surprising speed was sacrificing accuracy.

"Do you need glasses or something?" He started peppering his dodges with quips adding insult to non-injury. "Almost grazed a scale there, hotshot!"

"Shoot!" Kaos fumed.

"Best idea you've had since ever!"

Clicking his tongue, Spyro gained altitude and began launching fireballs at lightning speed. His engine went full blast as he revolved near uncontrollably in the air, setting the sky alight with a full-on meteor shower of flame. Greebles ran in terror from the onslaught, setting explosions on every square inch of woodland that soon left the creatures with no choice but to jump for a hopeful blind spot. Not even one was that lucky, near vanishing in the bright blasts.

Charred-black and smoking, the remaining Greebles all dropped their clubs and ran not nearly as fast as they wished they could. Kaos's scowl burned into his flesh harder watching them all passing. Soon enough, his army was a thing of the past, leaving Spyro with the non-challenge of the evil child alone.

Glumshanks, who had vanished in Spyro's heated counterattack, peeked his head from the bushes. "Well, sir, none can deny that this was a valiant, though some would possibly add inane or suicidal, effort. This has certainly done wonders for your track record. Now if we could explore the possibility of retreating…?"

"Retreat!? I don't know the meaning of the word!"

"That's one more for the list, I suppose…"

"I am Kaaaoooosss!" He cried with dark lightning crackling in his hands, levitating to Spyro's level. "I am the ultimate evil! I will not be vanquished by some conceited cadet with chili pepper breath! I am the one who does the vanquishing! And when I vanquish you and your trembling ward I will bring darkness and destruction to the Skylands, and then I will indisputably be the Ultimate Vanquisher of-"

"Bored now!" Spyro shouted.

The dragon launched a boulder sized fireball forward, crashing into Kaos. The evil child was sent out of the Falling Forest like a scorching shooting star, screaming all the way until his shrill call faded in distance. His troll servant merely gave a sigh, muttering as he walked into the forest.

"Aaawwww, YEAH!"

The dragon's scream called all the light in existence in a spotlight and rain of stars to his pinballing across the forest and self-praising smoke signals. The roars of an imaginary crowd rang in his ears cheering his name. His victory over a recognized threat to the Skylands was the crossing of that great finish line teachers tried to keep out of sight until after grueling years of study and training that his skill had gained him a timesaver for. All that was really missing to complete the moment was some manner of actual award or victory fanfare.

Instead, all he got was another weak whimper from Cody, still completely frozen staring at the ground, and likely wasn't even watching. At any other moment he wouldn't have taken offense, but this win was practically a graduation. The dragon shot down and landed right by the boy's side with a smile and a slap on the back.

"Yo, Skylands to Code! There's a party going on here and you must have missed the invitation!"

Cody blinked, as if Spyro's voice brought him back from some distant realm.

"Oh… I get the silence, you sweetheart." Spyro flew behind and shook the young boy's shoulders, heightening his mumbles. "You were probably running over your big congratulatory speech for me! I know we just met, like, in a single previous chapter of our lives one might say, but you probably have a lot of thoughts. If you're still workshopping it, let me just give some pointers, like feel free to go heavy on adjectives and give the imagination a whirl, just anything that-"

"… I should go."

Spyro's jaw dropped. "Wait, wha?"

Cody struggled getting back on his feet. Spyro had figured it was just from awe. "Talking dragons, floating islands, troll-things, that's… one thing. But me using, m-magic? No. Just, no…"

"Okay, so you let loose some magical forcefield that sent half a dozen Greebles to Kingdom Come, big deal!" Spyro smiled as composed as he could manage.

"Yes! A very big deal!"

"Welcome to the Skylands, then!" His voice might have raised an octave. "Between dragons and trolls and floating, magic's just par for the course, right?

"Believe it or not, magic isn't considered normal where I come from!"

"But it's all good, you just gotta, just gotta close your eyes, slap your cheeks three times and think 'there's no place like home!' Right?" Cody began to turn back into the thick while Spyro made an unsteady blockade of his body moving about. "Hey, hey! I'm trying to help you out here, civic duty and whatever, remember?"

Cody turned around. "How? I don't think either of us has any idea what's happening. I barely even get how or why this even happened, and…" Cody didn't even lock eyes or speak his own concerns out of clear restraint, but his words, spoken or not somehow still carried the same weight. "So… so what is your plan?"

And there was the blowout bringing him down wide-eyed and sweating to ground level.

That glorious drive into the winner's circle turned into a trip just before crossing, leaving the thrill of victory to seep out and make way for humiliation. There was a plan, he was mentally yelling to that imaginary crowd, to Cody, and to a familiar reflection behind him. A certain drill sergeant of a teacher had yelled in his ears more than once of the value of strategy and he had the headaches to prove it. It was just his method for the finer details of a plan to fall into place as he went along. For the timid boy to suggest anything with that worried stare was adding insult to infuriation.

Clearly there was something being lost in translation, because guiding a lost child home was, as far as Spyro was concerned, community service. Heroism simplified, the message of "you can be a hero, too" to starry-eyed wallflowers and what little came from that. A Skylander could delegate the task to an ordinary citizen while they handled the messier task of defending the realm from infestations to the threat of Armageddon. A plan for an act of goodwill was, to be honest, making a mountain out of a molehill.

But still, after all that inner bravado, no answer. And prospects for anything beyond were slipping from his claws.

So, hard-pressed as he was, Spyro just let his lips move and words come out.

"I could tell you my plan." He stared almost bored with a smirk just naturally forming on his face again. "But it seems like you've got better ideas. So I'm gonna just let you figure it out."

Cody blinked. "…Huh?"

"Yeah, I've done my best to help, even tossed in bodyguard duties free of charge. You ask me, that's some five-star service right there." Spyro mimicked the boy and turned away. "But I mean, ppht, I can tell when I'm not meeting expectations, so I guess what you're really saying is my service is no longer required."

"B-But…"

"Yeah, I try and help a nice-looking kid and all I get is guff, but such is life. I guess all I have to say now is… see you." Spyro gave another light jab. "You've got places you want to be and obviously you don't need my help to get there. You can pull off magic, unless it was just the one time, so you're clearly ready for whatever this place has got to throw at you, possibly."

The breeze began to stir again. Spyro brushed his claws on his chest without giving hint of the slightest care, and for a while could catch hesitant whimpers from the boy behind. He doubted it would be long before Cody could swallow it down and be brought to his knees ready for his aid.

But all he got was the shuffling of feet, the vanished mumbles, and rustling bushes. He turned and saw the boy vanishing into the woods following his lead in not looking back. He watched the boy with an eye twitch and clenching claws.

Seriously!? It was a bluff!

"Hey! Hey, wait a second!"

His shouts only spurred Cody to run and soon his form vanished into the woods. Taking off again, Spyro tried to scan him from above the line of trees, but nature had to spring into life with another tree falling in the worst possible time and place in front of him, because soon enough Cody was gone. Spyro was left to hover above the leaves with suddenly softened claws and the beginnings of a headache.

"Oh-kaayy, definitely not one of my better ideas."

* * *

Trudging past wooden corpses for so long it was a mixed feeling for Cody as he ran into fully secluded shade and collapsed. At first glance it was the closest thing he could find to his room - dark, quiet, a place where his thoughts could freely roam. Though he remained aware it was the same strange forest in some alternate world when he settled on a dead chunk of log pulling into himself.

That only became more apparent when he raised his head from his arms. The light from the gaps in the leaves going blinding white between darkest black, the chirping of insects raised to deafening screeching, all the mixtures of scents like spears through his nostrils. Every shadow, every piece of matter around him was alien, paralyzing, teetering between what was and what he wished could be. Shutting his eyes and ears and leaning into his knees as overcome as he was only helped so much.

When did this skyrocket of insanity begin? Maybe it was when he decided to play hero and save some little bird that could have easily flown or survived on its own. It could have also been when curiosity poked its head through the door and he'd foolishly picked up that stone that warped him away.

Either way, it was for the best that he ran, Spyro and his intentions, whatever they were, meaningless. He was a bad luck charm, spreading inconvenience on any level, no matter who on the receiving end. What to his irritation escaped people was that it was the reason he was willing to stay locked away and forgotten in his room, for the rest of his life if necessary. And now that it seemed he could somehow use magic, no matter how he tried to wrap his head around that, that reason was reinforced.

Not only was he troublesome, he was outright dangerous.

But as the minutes passed and he caught the shifting of the sun, he wondered how long he could hide and wait in a safe spot that was clearly not his charitable little jail cell. It was selfish and wrong, but here he was slumped down awaiting rescue. And there was that uncomfortable knot in his chest for pressing into the 'hero' that was willing to help. Looking back the way he came, he thought perhaps it was best to swallow it down and find Spyro again. The fact was even his limited understanding was better than nothing.

But just as he managed to stumble back up to his feet, voices caught his attention. One rigid and furious sounding while the others averting, tones he knew too well. They were so loud he was dumbstruck he didn't notice. Cody could only hope it wasn't that Kaos person again.

He peered through the bushes and his heart stopped.

There were more.

"I feel the need to remind you all that my class is meant for the specific purpose of teaching you the finer points of being a Skylander, to defend and conduct yourself properly on the field of battle" said an intimidating bird man pacing around with dulled armor clinking upon his every step. "And yet here I am having to explain to you the purpose of roll call and following simple instructions! Either I'm losing my touch, or I've been teaching preschool!"

A robotic wind-up toy raised his hand- claw- in defense. "We were keeping our eyes on him the whole time, Professor Jet-Vac, honest!"

"Am I to assume he just vanished into thin air, then!? Need I remind you I've seen his record and dealt with his braggart tendencies same as you lot and last I checked that wasn't one of his 'famed' abilities."

"It's one of Stealth Elf's, sir." A grotesque looking creature muttered, followed with a string of belches. "Come to think of it, she and Eruptor were with Spyro before he vanished." He belched again.

"Wha-Bad Breath, you little tattletale!" A talking red rock fumed with cracks in between his surface.

"Preschool, indeed." The bird-man, Jet-Vac he was called, sighed pacing over and around the rock creature and a green girl in rags, pressed to one another. "All right, you two, out with it. Where has our winged truant gone gallivanting off to this time?"

"Ah…" The girl started. "Professor, a what-if scenario here: say a student wanted to conduct, say, independent study for a school project, and-"

"I OBJECT!" The rock creature blurted. "I PLEAD THE FIFTH! THERE WERE NO WITNESSES! IT'S SOCIETY'S FAULT!"

"Eruptor!" The girl, Stealth Elf, fired staring at him. Cody couldn't even tell with those empty pupils. "So, independent study because our teachers always inspire us to take learning on ourselves-"

"I'M YOUNG AND IMPRESSIONABLE! ELF MADE ME DO IT!"

"Eruptor!... Okay, yeah, can I just say he went to the bathroom?" She facepalmed.

The others were staying in the background but honestly, Cody thought, they couldn't have grabbed more attention even if they were shouting. More dragons, a fish man, and a creepy girl in a black robe with a skull in a bubble that was moving. More than once he found himself shutting his eyes to keep from pinballing between the random assortment and wishing once again it was all just the resort of an imagination suddenly springing to life.

That same skull seemed to be looking out, a feat he questioned considering the lack of eyeballs. "Uh, guys?" It spoke.

The bird-man stepped forward, towering over the two. "Cadets, I believe that despite your short time at the Academy, you all know me well enough to know that I choke on my birdseed at the first sign of insubordination. Among certain other reactions…" Some chuckled at that while others recoiled.

"Guys?" The skull spoke again.

"And while I have come to expect it from, ridiculously enough, one of the most prodigal pupils we have seen in our history of training Skylanders, I hardly would have expected it from you!" He leaned right into the girl, who popped inches away from his judging pupil. "Enabling a teammate's unfortunate tendencies reflects poorly on oneself as well and frankly is a road to ruin for all involved. A circumstance where any member of the team fails to reign in their worst impulse leads to your team or your mission falling apart like a house of cards! Such negligence, I'll remind you, is not the Skylander Way!"

"Yes, Professor Jet-Vac…" The rock and girl both spoke simultaneously.

"GUYS!" The skull finally shouted.

The pale girl in black glared at him grabbing his sphere. "Skull, the class is having a bit of a moment here. This better not be because you saw another carcass that reminds you of a Familiar co-worker!"

"Well, I'm seeing something but with a lot more… scale…"

All present, known or otherwise, turned to the assumed line of the skull's sight. Cody folded when a distant call built up with volume and occasional wing flaps into something too familiar. It was his name, he made out when the voice was clear enough; a certain dragon hadn't given up the chase.

"Olly-olly-oxen-free!" Spyro's voice rebounded. "Hey, can you just come out alre-"

The dragon stumbled in-flight and went down like he had been swatted before all the others, sliding into dirt. Cody was almost as nervous as Spyro looked when the dragon raised his head to meet the teacher's glare. "Heeeyyy, everybody. JV, my main man, bird, bird-man. Any… chance I came back in time for lunch?"

Jet-Vac's white feathers were near turning red. "Actually, Cadet Spyro, you're just in time to provide us with what I am sure is a rousing explanation for your whereabouts for, oh what is it, the LAST HOUR!"

"Pretty sure that wasn't on the itinerary."

"Let me put it another way, lad: explain or I'll have you serving detention until you're as old as Master Eon!" He poked the dragon's horn with no visible effect. "And hopefully somewhere down that line I'll have pounded the importance of respect into your head."

"I'm flattered you want to spend that kind of quality time with me, really."

Spyro pulling at the military bird's strings left even Cody, as an onlooker, with the sensation he was being choked on those strings. Like raising his arms for the eventual tidal wave when the wisest move would be not to churn the waters and just do as the instructor wished with a bowed head and not even a peep. The tension was drowning, every raised voice that added to it sending a flinch that reverberated through every inch of his body. It was getting exhausting fast.

They would have to leave sometime, they would go back to their Academy or wherever these strange people all spawned from. He could handle shouting, just turn his back to the voices and let himself go numb for as long as it took. The boy decided to do just that, backing away from the bushes, watching for the errant hand placement on twigs to crack and dared not to even breathe.

"I should hope in all the time you've been gone, you've given at least a moment of forethought to what would have happened to your classmates for their aid in your little escape plan." He folded his arms behind him and turned to the others. "Class, let Cadet Spyro and his inconsiderate views of his teammates as accessories be a reminder to you all to consider that your actions, great or small, have consequences! And you, Spyro, I suggest consider so most especially!"

"Geez. It's not always about me, you know." Spyro noted in that flippant tone Cody was starting to recognize. "Matter of fact, if you really want to know, I'm in the middle of an important rescue mission. Somewhere out there is a victim in distress who can only turn to yours truly for help!"

Cody gulped.

The others gathered almost gave a single exasperated sigh. Cody could imagine the tired scowls on their faces. Out of anything he had heard, familiarity with such reactions made those quiet sounds the loudest.

"Here he goes again…"

"More of the exciting tales of 'Spyro the Great'…"

"Just when I thought I'd get one day of breathing room next to Mr. Ego…"

"Uncool, man… erp…"

"I knew it!" Eruptor fumed. "I knew this was gonna happen! 'Get the jump on this assignment,' he said. 'Help a dragon out,' he said. I feel manipulated and offended!"

Cody guessed it was Stealth Elf walking up when she spoke. "We nearly got chewed out and all you've got to say for yourself is you were playing make-believe in the woods?"

"Why put a negative spin on it? 'Teamwork' is apparently the theme of the day, let's go with that. What's more important is that I'm on active Skylander duty here!"

"I believe that should be for after you're actually a Skylander." Jet-Vac added with firmness.

"Yeah, maybe you saved a squirrel falling from a tree or something. That's as far as I'm willing to stretch this." Eruptor grumbled.

"Naysay all you want, but-"

A crack of wood nearby cast like a clap of thunder.

Cody's eyes shot open. In his heavy slouch his back brushed against the branches, and the voices on the other side stopped nerve-rackingly in time. At that point the boy ran a cold sweat desperately controlling every shiver his body was trying to emit. Hopefully they reacted to some other sound: some stray animal or another of the apparently common falling trees around here. He gulped as silently as possible praying as much.

"There you are!" A scaled head peeked right next to him. It was just his luck.

"Dude, I've been looking all over for you. I mean, really, what are the odds?" Grabbing him by the wrist, the dragon began to pull him out into the limelight. "Now come on, you're not getting away that easy!"

"W-Wait a minute!"

"Just… come out here so I can prove I'm not crazy!"

Against the dragon's wing-boosted strength, Cody's dull reflexes left him powerless. His dead weight body was flung into the limelight and onto the ground with all the care of a ragdoll before an audience of creatures. Like an exotic animal put fresh on display with no chance to retreat into a secluded hole for privacy, he only stared wide-eyed. They all stared back with any trace of their past frustration completely gone, looking to each other with fast glances waiting for someone to break the pause.

It was Eruptor. "That… is not a squirrel."

"Cody, everyone. Everyone, Cody." Spyro announced.

They all stampeded towards him at once screaming out, observations and questions amongst them all jumbled into a mess of intelligible noise. Cody backed away on instinct into the bushes with no responses possible as words were caught in his throat. Suffocated, even the sharp pricks of thorns on the wood were welcome as a stable ground in blotting everything out.

"Yeah," Spyro rubbed his snout pulling everyone's attention. "Found him hiding behind a tree all alone and helpless, so you know, me just being a big old bleeding heart for kids in distress, I decided to give this little guy a helping hand. And then Kaos comes up with his usual 'evil overlord of the Skylands-to be' bit

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" A fish-man spoke up. "You ran into Kaos!? Like, the real Kaos!?"

"Ugly scowl, smelly robe, head the size of a moon. Yep, Kaos." Spyro stood at attention but didn't bother to hide the smug grin on his face. "A couple fireballs and I sent him crying 'wee-wee-why' all the way home, though. Would have done it the other way but I didn't really have a rolled-up newspaper on me at the time."

"Right." Stealth Elf noted. "A couple of fireballs. Forgive me if I roll my eyes at that."

"Are you rolling your eyes?" Eruptor cocked an eye. "It's hard to tell, sometimes."

"Hey, come on, Elfy. Have I given you any reason to doubt me, before?" The dragon placed an arm on her shoulder, but she popped away in a flash of green smoke and appeared behind him, knocking to the ground with a punch.

"You do not want me to answer that." She crossed her arms. "Anything you might have left out of your heroic exploits?"

"Well, if you can call the kid using magic a heads-up…"

Cody's best attempt at a glare towards the mouthy dragon was anything but, thanks to a lack of experience and frustration pushed aside for something else. Nonetheless the class trapped him once again, thought their questions had gone hushed and there was a great deal more staring this time. Worse than usual, Jet-Vac, who had shown his interest from afar, was astonished enough now to come in close past his students and face him directly.

"Is this true?" The bird-man asked.

Cody could only nod. He dared not to give a response that might trigger disciplinary wrath from the old bird.

He turned to the others and folded his arms behind. "Everyone follow me, no dawdling. You as well, lad."

Running was the only option he seemed to have, but the question was to run after them, or run the other way and cross fingers for better fortune in hiding. Though he quickly found he had no strength to do either, with a wobbly rise and not even a half-step before he crumbled. He glanced at the backs of the others walking away, not even noticing him. Another dilemma for him, blocking his voice, either to speak up and call for help or hope their ignorance last and he would be by himself again. Lost in thought, he was pulled to his feet on both sides and carried forward steadily without notice and found Stealth Elf and Eruptor staring in that way he was never going to be used to.

The path the group took along the island's edge was one of continued silence and wayward eyes. Cody's own were kept past the end, into an infinite void of sky from what he remembered from the last time. This world everyone called the Skylands definitely lived up to its name, the only patches of earth drifting endlessly along its space. But there was the question lingering as much as he tried to keep it out, as to what might happen if one should fall. Ahead, Spyro's foot kicked into a pebble, and Cody watched as that rock went off and into the bright orange abyss.

Perhaps that rock would keep falling forever. A living person in that position would have a multitude of thoughts, expecting death that would come at a moment's notice but never would at the same time.

Thankfully no one noticed his stares. He pushed the thought out once more and just stared forward. He looked at anything else to keep his attention off but settled on the drooping dragon ahead of him.

Spyro had been carrying on as if shackled in chains, his wings weighted, following the strict bird-man at the head of the line. He could tell already that Spyro had a rebel's spirit that didn't mix well with the discipline that Jet-Vac seemed to enforce, from how he gave a huff in his direction when they first started. It was all in stark contrast to his lively personality seen when they were together in the woods. More than once he had even seen Spyro's gaze mirroring his own, aimed at the sky in every direction. It certainly got him dissatisfied glares from Elf and Eruptor for the majority of the trip.

Many times, the two had glanced at him and he passed off smiles as good as his glares. No offense to anyone but it was torture being amid such friction between people once again. Being alone, left in peace while life went on, a simple wish that didn't cause harm or inconvenience to anyone. Though it might have been because he wanted it that it was out of reach. More punishment.

At the end of the path came the destination everyone assumed Jet-Vac had in mind. An old rickety bridge that likely no one had confidence towards with how it swayed. At the end of it was a small islet with a large platform in the center. Its surface remained still, pristine like a pool of water, though surrounded by an aging ring of rusting metal. Cody stared transfixed at the mysterious device, a strange hum pulsating between his ears, easing his heart when it played and yet stirring racings when it stopped.

"Whoa… what is that thing?" The girl in black, Hex, had asked.

"That, Cadet Hex…" Jet-Vac began. "… Is a Portal."

"Wait, a real Portal?" Stealth Elf inquired. "Like from the Great War?"

"Indeed, Miss Elf. Portals were one of the most valuable assets we possessed during the time of the Great War." Jet-Vac paced. "Though only certain individuals were able to use them, they granted countless boons – the ability to teleport to any location instantly, to view any person or object of their wielders' interest, even offer haven for those injured in battle. Sadly, since those day, the Portals remain inactive, with only three in the entirety of the Skylands able to wield them."

"Right… and two of them aren't exactly good guys." Elf concluded.

Spyro leapt forward, a renewed spark in him sending him looking out at the Portal. "Seriously? That old hunk of junk can take you anywhere in the Skylands?"

"Don't get any ideas, lad." Jet-Vac scolded. "If my theory is right, this Portal will only take you anywhere… he wants to go."

Jet-Vac was pointing right at him. Cody stepped back, that woozy feeling returning for the umpteenth time.

"You, lad. Care to see if there's a fourth?"

A fourth… what? He wasn't suggesting that he was able to use this thing? A forcefield that blew tens of foes back was one thing, but this?

Still Cody complied and stepped forward, with Jet-Vac gesturing the entire class with him. Step by step they crossed the bridge; Eruptor's weight made up for those that flew or levitated to avoid danger. Cody found his sight teetering and blurring between the sight of the Portal and the void beneath. As strangely calming as he found the thought of a never-ending fall, he still clamped his eyes shut and treaded lightly.

Soon all had made it across and circled around the Portal. Cody slumped to the ground almost numb and ready to latch onto the nearest rock but followed the class. They all stood waiting and wondering.

"Now then. Cody, was it?" Jet-Vac asked again. "Doubtful you're familiar with the terrain. However, a single thought is all that is necessary, as I have on good authority of. Focus on 'Skylander Academy' and touch the Portal."

"Really, the Academy?" Spyro chimed in. "Can't we add a few more stops on this magical road trip?"

"Spyro!" Stealth Elf scolded.

The bird-man huffed. "Right then. Off you go: think 'Skylander Academy' and the rest will come naturally."

Without a word, Cody breathed in and stepped forward again, slowed by his own rampant thoughts. The impossible, the unexpected, the downright weird seemed to be an expectation of these people, for he saw no way this would have been able to work. Yet, when the tip of his foot reached the surface, it reacted. A ripple of light like on a pond came from the very spot it touched, dimming as it reached the edge. A similar ripple, warm and strong but gentle, flowed through him as well.

It was magic, the remaining common sense in him found the nerve to say. Here he was, with magic to make this old platform function. With no will left he followed Jet-Vac's instructions to the letter. All that came to mind were the words 'Skylander Academy.'

And with motes of light that evolved into a pillar that reached into the heavens of heaven, the Portal reacted. Cody looked to see all the creatures, every speck of flesh, fur, scale, and otherwise glowing bright and dissolving. And the same was happening to him – his entire body, fading into sheer nothingness.

He didn't scream, he didn't panic, he didn't think. He just let it happen, and all he saw was white.

.

Back on almost the other end of the Falling Forest was the airship the class had arrived in. In a booth at the front, Flynn sat with his feet propped at the wheel slouched on his chair. He slurped on his drink by the straw with an obnoxious volume, an oblivious look of content on his face.

"Wonder how long those guys are gonna take?"

* * *

For only a moment.

When he opened his eyes again, it looked strangely enough like heaven, but the reminder of mortality came with his gasp. He grazed his hand on his shirt, his hair, his face, all telling him he was very much alive.

Standing before him and all the others was some grand white-brick palace with spires raised and towers firm with a sense of resolute order. Banners flapped at the top with a wind that blew like a triumphant fanfare along its stone walls, paladins against a corrupt world. Before them all was a courtyard with a fountain flowing serene while more of the same creatures raced back and forth along the paths. Every inch of the building reflected a luminous glow from the sun raised high, almost blinding in strength yet warming as well.

He stared out along with all the others at his side. Oddly enough they were just as taken back as him, despite how Cody assumed magic and the like was all second nature to them.

"We're really back at the Academy…" Elf whispered.

"Gotta be the quickest ride home I've ever seen." Eruptor mumbled.

"Great. Field trip's over." Spyro grumbled.

Jet-Vac however, had no words to spare, which alarmed Cody. Instead he ran across the dock and the courtyard and up the steps to the entrance. He could hear the bird-man shout into the halls ahead from across the way.

"Master Eon! I've found… a Portal Master!"

* * *

 **And so we've reached the end of another one. And this chapter has gotten the record for the largest one in terms of words, minus this author's note. Maybe I should think about shortening the scenes up.**

 **Anyway, Cody has met the Skylanders and the secret behind his newfound talents is confirmed. What will happen now? What does Eon have to say as to the whole thing?**

 **Sorry this took a little longer than usual to release. Aside from the usual junk I took a couple of days off to recharge my batteries because I've been writing non-stop. I've been organizing scenes in my head, writing them down, plus I've been considering when would be a good time to pause this story and get to work on my other ones, since I've been focusing on this one since the year began.**

 **Another big reason I didn't have it in me to write yesterday was because of a little spat I had on Twitter. Someone had commented on Skylanders Academy with stuff like 'incompetent writing,' 'cringe-worthy entertainment' and other stuff, all from clips. Now, I am well aware people can like or don't like things as they wish and my initial comment was far from the point I was trying to make. But my overall issue was that he should have just chosen his words more carefully, as it just sounded like trash-talking to me, and then another user piped in saying this was some kind of proper criticism as it addressed the show as a whole as opposed to constructive criticism which just addresses parts. I mean, I don't know – if I looked at someone's work and called it amateurish or a piece of s*** that I burned my eyes reading, would anyone take that as helpful advice?**

 **Anyway, I've gotten over it, but my point still stands. If you are reading either my or someone else's work and you want to give criticism, choose your words carefully. Remember, you're trying to help someone, not crush them. Even Guests; just because that's how we see you, it doesn't mean you're completely anonymous. As my teacher said, treat every comment on the Internet like you're saying it in public. Because you are.**

 **Let's get past the warning message and move on to the reviews. I like what you guys had to say this time around:**

 **foxchick1** **: Glad you're loving it so much. And this is just the beginning.**

 **Bookwriter94** **: Hey, surprise is the name of the game when it comes to getting readers into a story, and that is what I intend to do. Even though you probably saw this coming. But I have more surprises in store, just you wait.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: Yes, as Jet-Vac has announced, Cody is indeed a Portal Master. More or less it was what everyone saw coming. Thank you for your patience, but I must put my foot down and insist you don't make a habit out of posting update soon. Every author will tell you that doesn't get the chapters out every sooner.**

 **Guest** **: I think your review was my favorite, and not just for the compliment. You kind of hit my theme for this story on the head because yes, Spyro and Cody are gonna be best buds. And friendship is the lesson at the heart of this story – something to notice as we move on.**

 **Rocker77889** **: Again, I feel the need to post your PM here because you've got some good advice for writers. None of us are experts, but we can still tell instinctually what makes a good story and what doesn't. If you feel the need to give your character the whole nine yards, best to find a way to meld it into the plot in a way that adds intrigue. Build it up or place it into the beginning when we are just learning about your character. Just keep in mind whatever skills he has are not going to breeze him through – it is how a character uses the tools he's been given that is a part of what makes him compelling.**

 **So that's it for me once again. Who knows when you'll catch this post if you're in America and catching the Super Bowl today but be sure to check it out. Thanks to the new fans who favorited and followed the story. As for you new readers, review favorite, follow!**


	6. Welcome to Skylander Academy

_That was to say nothing about the world you lived in. I couldn't even think to ask questions. All I did was turn away and hide._

 _Then again, that was the only thing I ever did. I'd made so great a mistake I didn't see what was right in front of me._

 _._

Jet-Vac's announcement rang out as an alarm and was the trigger for destruction. The white-bricked pristine towers exploded with the forms and colors of creatures bursting out of every door, window and open crevice found. They scattered from their sources like airborne debris from every nearby isle, excited and confused chatters deafening. Dragons, elves, golems, robots, gremlins, and every other creature one could even imagine soon covered the whole of the cobblestone path in their masses.

Cody gulped. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. Not again…"

He backed a step but stopped with a winded gasp with the railing at the edge of the walkway at his back. The boy choked on the lack of air, skin and fingers twitching with hundreds of new eyes homing in for inconsistencies, eager to target his form amidst the chaos and the wish that invisibility was among his list of magic powers. Clutching his sleeve and bowing his head he sprinted with dizzy steps towards a tree along the side of the road.

"Wh-hey! Where are you going?" Stealth Elf called after him.

Spyro placed a claw on her shoulder. "It's cool, Elf. That kid just doesn't get along with the spotlight."

Truth per experience for the boy long past his breaking point as he took shelter in the familiar refuge of shade cast from the sturdy oak, bracing himself as strength sapped from his legs. Hard bark dragging and tearing on his jacket and back as he slouched struck through any distortion of reality or cradle of thoughts to calm him. Dropping to the lawn with dew seeping through fabric, Cody dropped his forehead on his knees, numb with the noise of the army of creatures muffling in his ears. He breathed in the midday air and clenched the blades of grass, awaiting the bombshell of his being made a spectacle for this entire world.

"Okay, folks," Stealth Elf's voice came from nowhere following a popping sound. "Nothing to see here. Just a tree, a lovely and healthy tree. Props to the gardening club for this beauty!"

"Seriously, enough gawking," Eruptor followed. "You want something to look at, the art gallery's a few isles down!"

The two cadets had attempted to look as casual as possible, Eruptor sporting a glare while Stealth Elf remained nonchalant. Murmurs from the otherworldly crowed ebbed in volume, but they soon turned quiet and amongst themselves. The two shared a high-five, or whatever came close with Eruptor's magma stub hands, in triumph as Spyro touched upon the lawn beside them.

"Nice, real nice," the dragon gave a sarcastic grin clapping his claws. "Way to pull off some quality crowd control, guys. What's your encore, redirecting traffic?"

"Someone had to help the kid." Eruptor glared.

"Yeah, more on that," Elf continued. "At this point it's clear he's what everyone thinks he is, and I think I speak for everyone yammering out here that it might be for the best that Master Eon sees him. But if that's going to happen, we might want to ease him into this."

"And how are we supposed to do that, Elfy?"

"For starters, be nice and get him to talk. Take it slow, one on one. He needs to know he's safe here."

"Might want to let me handle this, then," Spyro stepped and nudged her by the shoulder. "Seeing as how I was the one who found him. And you know, be honest: who can be freaked out at this lovable face?"

Eruptor grumbled. "'Freaked out' isn't the term I'd use."

"Well… the fool came back."

The four turned to the man shark stomping up with muscled arms crossed and a scowl deep enough to pop out the crags in his forearms, teeth bared. Cody's stare only lasted half a second when the hulking brute flicked a pupil his way, and the second half had his gaze returning to the lawn. The trio of Skylanders stood staring up at him, Elf and Eruptor baring for the worst while Spyro took up a cheery grin.

"Yo, yo, yo, T-Man. Have you been missing your old pal?" The dragon looked ready for a hug.

"You wish, scales for brains," the man-shark huffed. "Way you've been talking up your class's field trip, I'd thought you'd take off and never look back. How much detention you got today?"

"I've got better things to add to my scorecard than just another round of detention. Like, you know… finding the first Portal Master in ages? That's got to be a whole semester's worth of extra credit right there."

"So that's what the whole school's up about? You found a Portal Master?" He raised a brow.

Spyro's wings flapped the moment he opened his jaw considering his triumph, rising into the air. "I mean, we might have to put history class on hold or something so they can fix up the textbooks. Spyro the Dragon finding a new Portal Master and bringing hope to the Skylands in the face of growing darkness. I should talk to Master Eon about getting my good side for the illustration. The question is, which good side?"

"Hey! Skylands to horn head! Do you read!?" Spyro lost himself once more in his own world higher than the Skylands while the grounded shark scoffed tapping his foot.

"Ease up, Terrafin," Stealth Elf stepped in. "Everybody knows there's no stopping him when he gets this hyped up."

"Last thing the fool needs, fuel for the fire," Terrafin looked back up with an arm raised ready to clobber the wayward-minded dragon. "I wouldn't go gettin' my autographin' claw ready over some fluke, hotshot!"

"Fluke is a strong word, T-Man." That had gotten his attention. "But if you plan on copying, afraid you'll have to wait until another freaked out kid decides to pop up out of nowhere."

A vein was now visible on the side of Terrafin's head and on his forearm as he yanked Spyro by the tail. "Yeah, well maybe T-Man ain't gonna go copying! Maybe T-Man don't need medals for doing some fool routine like getting' up and posing in the mirror! Maybe T-Man's gonna hit the books like everyone who don't got skills like you! Maybe T-Man's gonna take down some bad guy while you go on bein' your own biggest fan and writin' love letters to yourself in smoke!"

Spyro had backed away sneering. "Maybe T-Man should stop by the student store and grab a mint or ten. Gravel breath…"

Stealth Elf and Eruptor stuck to the side behind him with groans to stifle annoyance, something akin to repetition in Cody's experience. Drooping to the grass he stroked the sticky blades, and everything in this aerial world had by the strangest turn of events grown closer to reality than he thought possible. A dejected sigh escaped his lips, and he swallowed tight at the slight trace of a sting at familiar winds stirring. Still, he stayed silent knowing his word might do as much to quell this storm of conflict as always.

"ENOUGH!"

The command blasted as a gust of air across the courtyard blowing the clouds of anarchy amongst the crowd away. Standing at the top of the steps with an at-attention Jet-Vac by his side was a sage old man in radiant sky-blue robes, tranquil with the slightest flow. Cadets jerked stiff with their arms magnetizing to their sides staring forward at him, blinking under those wisps of intensity in his eyes. Cody dragged his own head out as well bracing the tree with the strangest mixture of fear and serenity. The angle of the man's face with its heavy brows and lengthy beard as he stretched his gaze spoke of ages of wisdom few could fathom.

"Let me see the boy. I wish to meet with him."

Wondering murmurs rose again as countless mix-and-matched heads turned to one another. The boy in question leaned hard back and looked away, his own arms and legs as heavy as stones caught between contradicting desires. Even with the closest thing to human contact since he'd come here waiting, melding with the wood to disappear forgotten seemed the better choice.

"Cody?"

Stealth Elf had appeared in a puff of green smoke beside him, with Spyro peeking behind her shoulder. His breath hitched for a moment. But it caught his eye how the elf's frame was outline with gentle rays, highlighting the gentle smile she wore. "Don't worry, you can trust Master Eon. We're all heroes here, and we want to help you. If you give us a chance, we might be able to do that."

His hand tensed under the touch of hers but her continued smile and even Spyro's grin drained the frost in his bones. It sagged with hope as he stared up at them both. "You think so?"

"Yeah, if anyone knows what's up, it's Eon. Might as well talk to him," Spyro's tone gained humor that outshone any attempted kindness. "Unless you think you've got a better chance hiding back here wishing for a ride home."

A noose of logic yanked Cody by his weakened legs with the dragon's suggestion out into open daylight and the mercy of judging eyes. True to his fear the crowd stared wide-eyed at him as he walked past, surrounded. His head bowed like a slave to face a king, the sun slapped its light on his flesh, the hand clutching his ragged coat to bare them for the creatures parting. But Stealth Elf's words ringing in his head cut the bind and that touch became gentler. Spyro's Master Eon was there at the top, standing for the boy who could see only mercy.

"H-Hello, sir…"

The old man was a mix of many parts like his student body: the shimmering armor and garb but with a kind smile like a grandfather's, rasing a hand to a child needing guidance. All the weight on his form vanished, yet his extended hand clenched and pulled back when Eon's reached out. It was wrong, his heart screamed. But he took the man's hand surprised by the smoothness of skin and grip that exuded life when it shook his.

"Welcome, young Cody." Eon greeted. "We have much to talk about, I'm sure."

Eon kept his hand in his own guiding him into the hall. The doors shut behind them with a clamoring thud.

The full crowd of Skylanders returned to their mutterings, sparse but soon exploding into conversation. The trio at the side kept silent, Elf and Eruptor exchanging glances of anticipation before turning back ahead. Spyro, however, took to the air by a foot locked onto the entrance, more expectant.

"No way I am missing whatever happens next." The dragon shot towards the windows.

* * *

For once, quiet dominated the world. The return from total psychological overload that Cody had been through in every passing second. From the shadowy crevice by the door Cody took in a welcome closer to his liking.

A library in any sense or realm with lines of shelved books offering wordless greetings in volumes underscoring this new world's scale. His hand brushed upon the stone cooled and blanketed by shadow, daylight filtering from the draped, ceiling-high windows was the only thing that remained foreign. His bedroom with its comforts stirred from memory, a still zone that the glow of time didn't penetrate, and the world moved on beyond the walls alone. The telescope and the small desk in the rotunda corner were the near perfect mirror image and doubled as the perfect point of vantage. He exhaled, any insane inkling of finding what these 'Skylands' offered could be normal now, but his stomach churned still.

"I assure you, the chairs are quite comfortable. Unless you find standing over there preferable."

The boy tensed. Serenity had fixed him to the spot. "S-Sorry…"

He followed the sage forward to a set of red velvet chairs and a polished table in the center. The two seated across from each other, Eon fixated on him with fingers crossed while Cody locked any openings, eyes and chest. Trust and peace slipped away as he fidgeted and scooted to the edge of his chair.

But in peeking to let his wandering eye pace the brick flooring back to his feet, Cody stopped at the circle in the center just visible enough beneath the table. Despite the runic symbols trying to pass it off as ornate floor decor, the shape and transparent surface marked it as a Portal. The tip of his shoe brushed with a soft scrape, in caution it might warp him away as a single tap had done to who knows where. His foot settled right on the rim, drawn with possibility; a single thought, a word, or an image and he would teleport anywhere. If he...

"Ah, there you are, Hugo."

He blinked as the door opened and in wandered a furry creature with spectacles heightening that curious gaze he loathed so much. Still there was a good-natured smile on his face as he bungled balancing both a large backpack of parchments and a wheeled tray with an ornate tea set. "Right here, Master Eon. I heard we have the first new Portal Master in ages, so I had an excuse to break out the good set."

Eon breathed in. "Blend of luminaries, I take it? The aroma is quite rich."

"Your star pupil always gives them his seal of approval. They must be high quality," the furry man waved.

The old master gestured, waving the herbal scent to him. "Care for a cup?"

"Oh, ah, thank you," he took the cup with a nod in thanks. "I didn't even realize I was so thirsty."

"Thank you, Hugo. That will be all for now."

"Right then," Hugo nodded, adjusting his glasses. "If anyone needs anything else, I'll be over on the next isle attending to my regular duties. Starting with making sure the Academy is absolutely, completely, 100% devoid of those little wooly terrors! BEWARE, SHEEP!" His declaration carried right up to the door, shutting it with a slam.

"Hugo is rather passionate regarding his… hobbies," Eon chuckled.

The sage took to his cup humming in pleasure with the occasional grab for sugar as the clock ticked the moments away. Cody let his own cup sit in his hand, glancing at him every moment the old man savored his sips, letting the warm liquid-filled porcelain cast his reflection, disturbingly composed. Jolts of hot and cold crossed in streams up his arms twisting the cup with his right hand, fire at his fingertips to ice in his forearms.

Thirst screaming, he forced a sip: a near drop, but enough to still his innards for the moments left. The taste was overwhelming: a grassland of sweetness set aflame by a spice wildfire. He licked his lips and massaged his throat to swallow the drops in the thin margin of time Eon was distracted.

A cup from across the distance clattered on the table. "I am sure you have questions."

"That's… kind of an understatement," he muttered. "This is just a lot to take in... all at once."

"Well, I suppose that's not surprising." The old wizard set his cup. "Curiosity is among many emotions to strike a visitor from another world."

.

Spyro's jaw dropped clutching the glass outside, his claws frozen in place. His cracked voice grew to a gasp like a grab for any free air, easily able to alert the two. He swallowed and continued watching.

.

The boy inside was no less startled. "H-How did you know? I mean… I don't know if that's an obvious thing or…"

When Eon didn't offer a response, Cody looked up to the old man raising his hand in expectance. "If I were to wager a guess, I'd say you have in your possession now a mysterious stone. Might you humor me with a glance?"

Cody twitched at the warm invitation. But the stone the old man guessed was in his possession was serving no purpose in his pocket. Its humming glow sparked in his hand as he placed it in the smooth palm of the wise sage before him.

"As I suspected," he peered closely at it. "This… is a Portal of Power."

"Portal of… Power?" The boy looked up at the crystal. "So, this thing's a Portal, like that other one on the ground?"

"Make no mistake, a Portal of Power is far beyond any normal Portal, in both form and ability. Portals of Power, on very rare occasions, take the form of shooting stars sent as gifts from the Ancients, the very creators of the Skylands. They hold the unique ability to transport their users betwixt worlds, realms far outside the Skylands." The mystic rock glowed far stronger in Eon's hand than it had in his own. "The only quality they share with the Portals found here is that only Portal Masters are able to use them… Portal Masters such as you and I."

Cody's nerve-filled tug went to his knees knocked together, gawking at the tiny packet of power. Glancing at Eon's smiling face from beneath his locks at sparse seconds, he scrambled throughout his head for the next available thought he had.

"You guys, you keep saying all these weird terms. Skylander, Portal Master, it's just a mental marathon trying to keep up with it," he gulped. "All I did was pick up a rock in my yard and I ended up here: it was an accident. How does what you're saying relate to me? What's all this supposed to be about?"

"To understand that, you must understand a crucial piece of our world's history." The old wizard strode towards the open window gazing out at the dotted islands. "Long ago, Portal Masters existed in droves, fighting alongside heroes from countless corners of the realm under the unified name, Skylander, to protect our world, the Skylands from evil. The Skylanders and Portal Masters forged unbreakable bonds with one another as allies and friends, and those bonds made us invincible against the forces that threatened to destroy us."

Cody nodded.

But Eon's gaze turned dark, and in his hunch Cody could swear the clouds beyond his window gained a deeper shade. "But then came a horrid period, the Great War, where amidst it a wicked force unlike any seen before rose to power and exterminated Portal Masters one by one. With our kind brought to the brink of extinction, only I remained to command the Skylanders," he turned away and light returned. "Though the losses were immeasurable, we attained victory, if only by the narrowest of margins."

"That's… terrible..."

The boy gulped as he shifted in his chair and imagined only a face on the old wizard mirroring his own in the cooling tea's surface. Somehow, he brought himself to turn towards the man who still stood tall as time true to his name feigned passage. "Still, why me? Why now?"

Eon returned to him. "No one truly knows just what defines or gives rise to a Portal Master. Riches and royal blood cannot make one such. Though some believe a heroic spirit is beneficial."

"What about that guy, Kaos?" Cody asked.

"Ah, so you have met him. I had heard you and Spyro had, a select few might say, a fateful encounter with him in the Falling Forest."

"Yeah. And he had magic. Does that mean he's a Portal Master, too?"

"He is, to the grief of many, as is his mother so that refutes any further speculation there." Eon sighed. "Considering this, most are of the shared opinion one is born with the power or they are not, no further discussion needed. But regardless of any debate of their origin, their random appearances throughout the history of the Skylands has convinced warriors and scholars alike they are fated to appear when our world needs them most."

He was at Cody's side before the boy even recognized and kneeled to look him in the eye. "With that in mind, I am of firm belief it to be no coincidence you've come."

The boy had backed away with such proximity, Eon's unspoken expectations almost pouring in and sending his insides quivering. He locked on the door that seemed to grow miles in shadowy distance until it vanished. His gaze wrenched back to the old man daring entry past his walls with that smile once again. Gaining his bearings on the wood rim of the seat he settled himself and smoothed the ruffles in his wrung, near-torn clothing.

"Um, mister, Master Eon, sir…" He started. "I mean, this is nice and everything, but I just-"

"Young Cody, ever since I founded this institution it has been a dream of mine that one day new Portal Masters would come. They would unite with the Skylanders of today and forge bonds as their predecessors once did and train as defenders of the Skylands together." He raised himself and extended once more. "Forgive me for my ramblings but let me make my point. Would you consider becoming the first Portal Master student here at Skylander Academy?"

"… What?"

"I am asking if you would enroll as a student at my Academy," he beamed with the brightest smile and twinkle in his eye. "Allow me to offer guidance, I can help you control your magic. You can become a protector, a hero alongside the other Skylanders. I believe this is where you are meant to be. What say you?"

To become some superpowered hero with incredible power and combat skills, to be a hero with mighty creatures at their side and make their name legend. A comic book fantasy that somehow turned reality-if it were any other ten-year-old boy, they would have jumped at the chance. But Cody's stare withered and went dead, skin gone pale with cold sweat running down. Locking his arms together and setting up walls while thoughts stopped. And only images played.

Several people screaming, with tear-flooded glares.

A picture of a flower that fluttered to a tile floor.

An unmoving body in a bed with a white sheet on their face.

Himself, back in his room as a blank silhouette sitting hunched in a dark-rimmed vision that faded to mental nothingness.

"… No, thank you."

The old wizard blinked in shock. "Pardon?"

"No, I don't think I'm what you're looking for," Cody drew in deep. He made no efforts to hide in turning away this time. "There's no chance of that at all, I can tell you for sure."

He near jumped from the seat making his first steps for the door. Eon stopped his dazed trudging halfway with his hand over the boy's hunched shoulder. "Young Cody, I don't wish to force your hand but at least consider. The potential and power of a Portal Master is a blessing given only to a small handful of individuals, and I fear a time may come when the Skylands will need that power. When they will need you."

Cody turned to the kindly old sage, his face sunken and a slight crack in his quiet tone. "I tried to save someone once… but I couldn't. I'm not blessed or gifted, I'm not lucky, and I'm not the kind of person who could ever be a hero. The last place I belong is in some school for heroes."

The boy brushed Eon's hand walking away and trudged up the steps. He took one last glance at the old wizard, facing him directly, though his head felt weighted. He breathed in deep.

"I'm sorry…"

* * *

 **Thanks to everyone for their patience for this new chapter. I had planned on taking a short break but that had lasted longer than even I intended. It started out as just one week so I could focus on homework for my class at school. But then it extended because of my laptop breaking down. I had to take it in and factory reset it, which meant I had to reinstall my programs, including MS Office. That was a bummer, but there were some good points: my files are all backed up now, there was no serious damage, and I even got work started on the next chapter. Hopefully that won't take as long.**

 **Other good news is that I managed to get ProWritingAid to help me with the edits this time. I think this might be one of the most polished chapters I have ever written. I'm proud of the work this time but I'm hoping the next one will come out even better.**

 **So anyway, hope this chapter has provided a bit of an insight into Cody, especially with that last comment. Wouldn't it be nice for him if the story ended right here? But no. There is more coming, and more to this kid than anyone in the Academy thinks. Want to find out for yourself? You'll just have to keep reading.**

 **Anyway, on to the reviews:**

 **Hetxor:** **Thanks for the compliment. I don't know about decent, maybe I was going for a little something more, but I'll take my slice of humble pie. Hopefully the next chapters will warm you up a little more.**

 **Bookwriter94** **: I'll consider your advice for setting a schedule-I need to do that with a lot of things in my life. As for the story, Master Eon was definitely pleased, although things don't usually go the way you want, even when you're a great wizard and protector of the realm. But things will all work out.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: Sorry this one took so long. Hope you enjoy it.**

 **rocker77889** **: Thanks for the PM, as always. I took your advice and looked for those little dialogue slip-ups this time. I'll be sure to keep a better eye out for them too from now on. You said you were excited for this one since it gives some spotlight back to Cody, so I'll cross my fingers it lives up to your expectations.**

 **desmond bot** **: I saved your comment for last because it is a bit tricky to answer that right now. Just in terms of Cynder appearing; I don't know about any romance yet. The truth is this is tied to a big announcement I plan to make in regard to this story, and I don't know when I will make it. Maybe when this story gets enough favorites, follows and reviews, or when it reaches a certain point in the plot. I have an idea in mind for when but until then keep your eyes peeled and follow my longstanding advice.**

 **And that advice is: as always, review, favorite, follow!**

 **The next chapter might come a bit sooner. Be ready!**


	7. Jailbreak

Cody's feet dragged out of the building, the giant doors slamming shut behind him. For a moment he leaned back, Eon's disappointed frown engraved in memory. For a moment his pupils wandered back to the handle, and his hand reached but an inch for it. Instead, it went to his pocket, and from it came the Portal of Power, wisps of light from its core.

He sympathized with Eon's veteran tales, but he still stood a literal world apart from any of these issues no matter who argued. Yet Cody remained sullen, the glow weakening as his fingers loosened around the rock. Every crack and crevice his hand ran across in the stone railing became another crack in his resolve. And with second thoughts peeking through his feet dragged again stopping him halfway down the steps.

Was it okay leaving things this way?

"Yo, yo, yo!"

The boy blinked from his stupor. Spyro dropped, or teleported as far as anyone could tell, by his side. The dragon's extended wings cast a shadow large enough to block the midday sun and snare Cody. His tail caught Cody for real when he'd stumbled and flipped over the metal rail.

The dragon rotated around twirling him back into place in a cheery mood. He was a balloon of cheer letting out whoops and laughter bounding on busts of wing beats from one spot to the next. With a breath he perched on the railing laid back, his head upheld on a hand, looking suave with a debonair smile.

"You're looking lost, and that's saying something," the dragon joked.

"Oh, um… sorry."

"Is that your favorite word or something?" he chuckled. "I'm thinking you and old Eon had a heck of a chat in there."

Cody stuffed the stone into his other pocket. "Yeah… he, um, h-he said he wanted me to be a student at this school. But I… I said no."

Spyro leapt from the railing and circled the boy, slithering and flowing, staying in place for only a second. He set himself to be as elusive yet clear as that little voice in the kid's head talking sense. "Ooh, yeah. You dodged a bullet there, kiddo," he hummed looking at the open blue around them, his eyes rolling like airborne rockets from stray islands with too-familiar buildings. "Just take a look. Whole school as far as anyone can tell. Looks aside, this place doesn't have much along the lines of stuff to do, and yes, I'm including class. It's for the best you're heading home, if you ask me."

Cody blinked. "Wait, are you sure?"

"What, you think we're keeping you locked up here? Trust me, that'd only be if you got enrolled," the dragon chuckled. When Cody sighed and turned he closed in with an arm on his shoulder, a hand to the chest, and an entire body that exuded sympathy. Going the extra mile, he tilted his head trying to match that angelic glow Stealth Elf utilized to draw the boy towards her hand into Master Eon's.

"Hey, chill. Elfy said it herself: everybody here is ready to give you the capes off their backs if you need them. And right now, it's as obvious as my dashing good looks what you need is to beat a trail back to your world." He gave the boy a wink.

"Yeah," Cody muttered.

"Yeah, am I right? I'm right, I usually am. You're nervous, you want to go home, so you can go home. I told you I'd get you home and mission accomplished. You've had a nice break from life, but the comforts of wherever you're from are calling. Just give it a few shakes and think 'there's no place like home.'"

His claws braced onto Cody tight as if to anchor him to reality. They tingled and shook enough to send an earthquake of vibration into the boy's small frame. Eavesdropping never aligned on whatever level with him as the dragon leaned more towards the epic tale of his own life. But trials in such stories often led to happy endings and the truth he'd gotten there with the quiet boy he'd found hit him hard. Spyro felt sure he and Cody were both seeing a golden godsend to that world unknown, a key to freedom, in that runic stone in his hands.

"Right. So, uh… just fire up that little night-light of yours and we'll say, 'happy trails…'" he leaned in whispering, a single talon reaching for the embedded stone. It hummed with a faint glow from its core, its magic stirring.

"Not so fast, hotshot!"

The two jolted at the gruff voice of the scowling Eruptor with his stubs at his hips right to their side. Their stares snapped up at the pop and fall of green mist and leaves from the tree where Stealth Elf was kneeling and dropped to the lava golem's side. Spyro's smiling mask went dry and cracked as the two approached no doubt feeling smug at knocking the wind from his wings.

"Elf, Big E," he greeted with exposed jaws and claws near crushing Cody's shoulder bones. "Nice of you two to join the party. For the record… how much did you hear?"

"Just enough," Eruptor crossed his arms.

"That's what I was afraid of," his talon withered.

"And we're thinking you shouldn't be so quick to take a rain check on signing up with us, Cody," Stealth Elf reassured leaned on the lava creature's arm. "Skylander Academy's got a ton of stuff you won't want to miss."

Cody glanced back and Spyro risked a hair of a second switching back to the face-freezing beam to inspire any last-minute confidence in him. The boy glanced between him and the gem and even back to the other two giving Spyro faith his role as the boy's rock had won him the conscience tug-of-war between the three. Eon's wardens, his fellow cadets, had pulled him by the leash enough times under the guise of camaraderie for him to work his way past all their tactics.

But he went wide-eyed and teeth grinding when Cody took that hope and the Portal and buried them into his pocket. The cell doors slid in and life beyond the walls became as far away as it had ever been. The dragon's claw reached to grab his wrist and keep the precious gem out but twitched his talons and buried them at his side.

"I don't know…" Cody mumbled in his common-growing unsure tone. "To tell the truth, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the magic and Portals and everything. And I can give a good hundred reasons I couldn't do this whole 'hero' thing. If I signed up as a student, I wouldn't even know where to start."

Eruptor snagged the boy away leaving Spyro to fall on hard binding stone. "Is that what you're worried over? Come on, buddy, there's a volcano's worth of cool stuff here. For starters, there's Weapons Class, Supercharger Training, the Enemy Simulation Tests, Skyball, Elements 101, studying wild beasts-"

Cody had gone pale. "B-beasts? Weapons? E-E-Enemy S-Simulation?"

"Nice one, Eruptor," Spyro deadpanned grinning. "When did you want to mention the super dangerous stuff?"

Eruptor blinked, seeing Cody going stiff as a wood plank. "Oh, whoops…"

"I-I mean…" Cody gulped slouching. "I don't know. Superchargers, Elements, and all those other things? Now I'm even more lost…"

"Yeah, thanks for the road map, Eruptor," Stealth Elf huffed and turned to Cody. "Look, everybody starts somewhere. Unless you're Mr. Star Student over here, then you're just perfect from the get-go." Spyro gave the ninja girl a wink to which she shook her head groaning.

"Normal school is tough enough," Cody sighed. "And I haven't been there in years."

"And yeah, things will be tough here too, well I mean, expect them to be," she rested a hand on his shoulder shooing the dragon away. "But that doesn't mean you can't do it. There's no point in quitting before you've even tried. Just give things a chance and you may surprise yourself with what you like and what you can do."

"Exactly what I was saying!"

The eager dragon leapt up perching on Cody's shoulders, hunching and clasping the boy's sides again. Cody teetered off balance while he made a mental sprint for ideas. "Cool stuff! Lots of it! In fact, why don't I give you the full Skylander Academy experience as your personal guide?"

"Seriously?" Cody blinked.

"Seriously?" Stealth Elf and Eruptor's tones had that deep undertone of doubt.

"Yep," Spyro pushed his charm to the utmost. "Can't go making big decisions on the fly! Why not give our humble little hero school the full run before choosing? And don't you worry, I'll be busting out every stop on this tour, right up to the Academy anthem!"

"B-but you said… I don't-"

"Time's a-wasting," the dragon forward-shoved him along the remaining steps around the building. "So much to see, so much time to see it. By the time we're done, it'll impress you as much as it does me!"

Cody disappeared behind the building and out of the reach of the other's trapping influence, to Spyro's relief. He'd stopped flapping in the second he'd turned around to meet Stealth Elf's cynical stare from out of a cloud of smoke. He shut his wings and arms behind his back with a near-visible halo appearing above his head out of belief she could smell fear and falsehood. "Okay. What are you up to this time?"

"I'm up to giving the kid a tour. Didn't you hear how ecstatic I was?"

"Sure we did," Eruptor stomped forward. "That's kinda why we're worried."

They were persistent, if nothing else, getting good in reading between the lines. But he knew how to keep the game going.

"You wound me and my integrity, sir," he mock-gasped. "Is it a crime to want to offer a helping hand to someone or encourage a potential student? Ah, such a pity when a Skylander falls from the light. Slap the cuffs on me and take me away."

"Far, far away, right?" Stealth Elf popped an inch from his snout pressing fingers into his scales. The violation of space forced him back to perch on the railing. "I'm sure you'd love that."

"I'm the star student-slash-bad boy. I'm every color of complex under the psycho-rainbow."

"Drop the cute act. This is another try at a daring escape, isn't it?" She slapped a palm to the face groaning. "For crying out loud, Spyro! This is a school, not Cloudcracker Prison!"

"Ease up, will you? I've been with the kid the longest. Is it any stretch of the imagination to say he trusts me?" Spyro faced her shrugging. "And need I remind you, and apparently I need to, I've been here since I hatched, meaning I know this place like the back of my claw. If there's anyone who should give out tours, it's me."

Stealth Elf was perceptive as a ninja-that stink eye was giving him could shred any lies to pieces. Spyro kept confident though, on the count his argument was logical by no stretch of the truth and it was just in his nature. As expected, she sighed in defeat. "… Fine. You're sure you don't want a few hands extra, though? You know, to give him the full Academy experience?"

"Yeah," Eruptor added flexing his stubs for quotes. "Wouldn't want the kid to miss whatever could help make that 'big decision.'"

The dragon rounded the corner with a lighthearted scoff and a chuckle on the air. "Please, as if I need anybody's help. Especially with a tour. Just show the kid a few classrooms and stuff, wham! Tour done. No problem!"

Spyro flapped away focused on the two until they vanished behind the building. He gave a talon up when their glares went deeper. But by the time they were out of sight, he snorted away his joyful facade dropping to the ground massaging his cheeks.

He had to remind himself fortune was blowing breezes behind him, the cards in the game had fallen in his favor even without his intervening. The only thing Cody was searching for since the moment he arrived were exit signs and so was bound to side with anyone who'd send him on his way with a gentle nudge. Matters of the wild blue yonder aside, someone who screamed and ran at the first sign of villains couldn't cut it as a Skylander, magic or not. Rather than saddle the kid with the hero life, it was better to let him go free.

"If he still wants to leave at the end, guess that's that," he called out on foot. At the end of the grassy walkway by a small tower was Cody huddled atop a large root. He morphed and pushed his fangs into his best smile once more.

"Even if he has to bring a passenger along for the ride…"

* * *

The shadows of the entrance drew back exposing Kaos's beaten face, deepening the beastly scowl and bruises he now sported. He trudged inside hunched with his fists crackling with black lightning. Whatever sum of boasting he made for his powers, the defeat handed to him was an unpleasant slap to the face. Glumshanks was several steps behind as he reached the center of the room and stood there quivering, earning apprehensiveness from the loyal troll.

"Well, sir," Glumshanks noted pressing his nails together. "Your mother was adamant in wanting us to leave the castle for the day. I think we can both agree today was beyond any doubt eventful, so… "

"Silence, you idiot!"

Kaos continued to quiver, fingers twitching with exposed veins. "It is my destiny as the greatest Dark Portal Master in existence to be the scourge of the Skylands. Yet I was defeated, nay, humiliated by a random, uppity cadet and his fledgling Portal Master! It's not fair, it's not fair, it's not fair!"

The shrieks of the wicked Portal Master crashed upon the room as he dropped to the floor in a childish tantrum. He pounded his fists and flailed his legs with the icy stone floor bruising his toes and hands. He rolled on the ground back and forth, his screams morphing into cries and unintelligible words. Glumshanks plugged his ears staring with a grimace of pity and shook his head wandering over towards the table.

"Utter injustice from those heroes-in-training sir, but there's always the promise of tomorrow for evil and mayhem." The troll released a finger and wiped off the excess earwax trudging to the table and scooping a set of scrolls. "Best to make the most of this by tackling your list of practice spells.

Kaos sniffled with a wheezing breath. "Don't insult me! Those spells are for three-year-olds!"

"Might be an adequate challenge for you then…"

The evil child snapped up and was at Glumshanks' front in a heartbeat with a finger to his warty jaw. "I'm not sure I understand your comment there, Glumshanks. Were you trying to say 'please, Master Kaos? Please tie me to the roof with a metal rod through my gullet and use me as a lightning rod?'"

"Why not? We're well past using it for any reasonable purpose…"

Kaos shoved the troll off the table and paced away into circles back at the room's center. Emulating the visage of a true villain, he gave his chin a stroke. "How am I meant to bring darkness and destruction to the Skylands at this rate? My servants were worthless-present company included-dispatched with a near sneeze by that smart-aleck dragon. Also, as if things weren't unfortunate enough, I can sense the potential of my powers dwindling away. Years of study and practice and mere parlor tricks is the limit of my magic? It's nowhere near enough…"

"Look at it this way, sir." Glumshanks stood and dusted himself. "I hear magic energy orbs make for excellent Skyball substitutes."

"Kaos!"

"M-mother?" Kaos shrieked. He ruffled his robes back into a decent-enough quality and pulled the neck to hide his purple welts.

The footsteps of the evil empress made no sound as she near-floated into the room. Her long-fingered hands clasped together casting her displeased gaze onto him as he squeaked. "Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for," she froze at her son's beaten animal-reminiscent form. He only looked away trying to shroud his face with his robe's neck. "Well, I guess that answers my question. For once I'm in a good mood coming into this sorry dump, which I never thought was even possible."

"Well, mother. I'm glad my getting trounced by a Skylander served such a worthwhile purpose…"

"A single Skylander did this? Yeah, I am up on Cloud Nine," Kaossandra brought her hands to her chest. He steeped with poise to descend over him as she always did. "But I'll laugh at your incompetency later. I'm here to tell you I'm leaving the castle for a spell. I have a list of errands to attend to for today."

"Your errands again," her child muttered. "Mother, you never tell me what these supposed errands are."

"And that is because it's my business so keep your snout out of it," Kaossandra scolded. "As always when I am away you are not to enter my Me-Ditation Chamber so don't go getting ideas in that depraved little mind of yours." He'd flinched and fell back watching his mother make for the door with as much haste as regality allowed. She stopped at Glumshanks's side, speaking without looking.

"Make sure he stays put this time."

"As you wish, madam," the troll muttered with the same indirect manner.

Kaossandra slammed the door and light and air in the room returned for Kaos. Without his mother and her disapproval to bring a painful death to his ambitions, the evil child leapt to his feet. The weed of a smile spreading across his face turned terrifying at full length. "Glumshanks, I have a brilliant idea!"

The troll sighed. "And if I could wager a guess to what, I'd say it was sneaking into your mother's chambers in the castle? Then find her book of dark magic to take revenge on the Skylanders?"

"How did you guess?" Kaos stood disturbed.

"Just a shot in the dark…"

"Well, you're wrong! That wasn't my plan… just, fifty percent of it," Kaos dusted his robes and ascended the steps. "As great a satisfaction it would be to wipe those do-gooder Skylanders out of existence by myself, it has come to my attention I need a little extra oomph. I want them to know utmost despair and humiliation. I need an elite team of associates, and I know just the pack of miscreants for the job."

He craned his head across the way, past his scribbled scrolls and dirtied blackboards hung a series of wanted posters with imaginary radiance. Figures of grotesque beings, wicked-looking and deformed with a convenient ominous lightning beneath their forms. A werewolf, a pepper-headed chef, decrepit men, and a woman with a golden complexion in the largest portrait in the center. A boyish twinkle of admiration shined in the eye of the wicked child, grinning a bone-popping grin.

"The Doom Raiders, sir?" Glumshanks asked with an actual tone of voice.

"Don't they scream wickedness, Glummy?" The evil child took his table cluttered with sculptures of the same people and dusted them on the shelf. He picked from the floor and embraced clippings of reports of their various misdeeds, from grand larceny to destruction of property, shivering with notoriety. "I have followed their evil careers from the beginning. It was my dream to walk in their various-sized and shaped footsteps! And now is the perfect chance to meet them!"

"A boy with a dream. Adorable, I suppose, even if it's you. But sir, don't you think-"

Kaos picked him from the ground with his magic and through the door, into the depths of his mother's massive castle.

* * *

There was a reason his little my-first-lair hung in the shadow of that grandiose palace with its pillars and angular ceilings lost into an endless void. Every individual speck remained pristine and stainless like gems illuminated by the flaming sconces lining the halls. Their trespassing footsteps as silent as they made them cracked upon the floor shattering the silence. The violet light that poured in exposed his slouching shadow shoving it into the dark so cover the shameful stain. His mother's condescending gaze embedded itself into every brick or dim wisp in the flaming sconces lining the halls.

Yet he carried himself with greater pride. He had yearned to instill the same fear in innocent souls the Doom Raiders did when the hapless and weak spoke their names, even while imprisoned. He paced those gloomy halls as a conqueror, closer to that dream than ever, taking his first steps towards ultimate dominion.

Even though he did so with the irksome troll at his side nagging him to no end.

"Need I remind you sir, that the Doom Raiders are among the most, a generous number of people have testified, the most dangerous villains the Skylands has ever known?"

"Yes, Glummy. Don't they sound wonderful?"

"Well, they might have once. Prominent members of our world's society until they took a turn for the worse and turned to terrorizing people and spreading mayhem," the troll sighed. "Years of fear-mongering just got the lot of them one-way tickets to the most secure cell in Cloudcracker Prison."

"Indeed, the best of the best for the worst of the worst."

Glumshanks jumped before him. "So then, sir, if I may be so bold. How do you plan on getting, quote, 'the worst of the worst' to play the roles of supporting actors to yourself?"

The troll's small burst of boldness had gotten him a pull by the ear to Kaos's face. "Oh, Glumshanks, my dear, feeble-minded Glumshanks, how little you understand the code of villainy. It's simple. The Doom Raiders will be my loyal servants and follow my every order because, well, I'm not giving them a choice!"

"Is that a fact?"

"Must I explain everything!?" Kaos raised the troll via dark magic and swung his entire body in emphasis. "If they don't serve me, I don't free them. But if they pledge their undying loyalty and gratitude and follow my every whim no matter how trivial, then I show them mercy and they're free as birds. Vicious, bloodthirsty, wicked birds of prey that will peck at the eyes of any Sky-loser I point them towards!"

Glumshanks dropped to the ground released from his master's magical hold. "Genius, sir. And I suppose you've considered this but, ah… in the obscene, unexpected scenario they try to double-cross you? No doubt you've done your research, but I believe it best to remind you they weren't locked up in the Skylands' most secure jail for littering and jaywalking."

"All deliciously evil in their own right, I might add."

"You should know, since they're the best you've pulled off…"

Kaos kept his back turned, denying the troll to see the cogs in his head spinning for a solution. "Well… there will be misgivings in the aftermath but I suppose I'll have no choice to destroy them."

"Right… classic fallback."

His servant troll was concocting nonsense scenarios, the evil child determined, his genius passing for prophecy. All villains shared the common goal of spreading misery and remaking the world to satisfy their ambition. And even the most deplorable recognized concepts of gratitude and the toiled efforts of a determined soul wising to plunge the Skylands into his namesake of a state. Or at least one with greater power. The noble heroes of this world had gorged themselves on the times of peace and evil crushed underfoot and now was the perfect time to change the tides.

Endless flights of stairs later, as designed to repel him as Kaos thought, they arrived at a chamber at the top of the tower. Onate markings resembling locks and hideous faces parallel to the ominous gargoyles on either side adorned the massive door. The evil child shivered through his robes, an unnatural mist of force seeping through the stone. It triggered the dark magic that soon went wild and blasted the doors wide.

From the ceiling above rays poured into the room, pushing back the shadows into reverence at the sides. The only thing of note was the pedestal in the center, and atop it, a heavy tome encrusted with violet crystal. Taking it in his hands, silent, demonic whispers fluttered into his ears, and power flooded into his twitching digits.

"This is it, Glummy…" he whispered smiling. "This will make it all possible."

"Sir, allow me to make my case once again. It's not too late to go back to the room and study. Or perhaps enjoy a nice jigsaw puzzle or make collages with your article collections."

"Silence! I'm in the middle of a dramatic moment!"

The book lifted itself from his hands into the air and he levitated after, almost pulled by strings of fate. Black sparkling streams swirled around them both intoxicating the air with a haze of malevolence. The storm flooding into and all around his body contained a force beyond his wildest imaginings, tantalizing him to his deeper yearnings of deity-level actions. All sense of the world faded in his maddened cackle as the symbol on his forehead set the room alight in an infinite violet glow.

* * *

Contrary to his expectation coming out of that sweeping light, Kaos found himself with his troll servant next to him in a cramped rock cell. He blinked away near euphoria holding onto iron bars and gaping. Lost in the light he remembered crashing doors, the screams of guards, zapping, leading up to the slide of iron bars in his face. His manic grin lost its steam sending the fuel to his twitching eye.

Glumshanks slapped his head beside him giving a tired sigh. "Yep, you are a miracle worker…"

* * *

 **Well, good news, the next chapter's here! A little earlier than expected if I might add.**

 **I don't know if it was my best but I'll take my wonderings and apply them to the next chapter. I normally have this problem anyway, but I'm glad that thanks to some recent purchases it's not as bad as it could have been. I am trying to focus more on the story itself than the writing individually, since I see other stories on this site and the writing is so poetic and full. But I keep having to remind myself even pro writers have these little issues and it's just down to a matter of style.**

 **I think I've made the decision to put this story on hold for a little while once it gets to chapter 10 and by then I'll make my big announcement in regards to this. I'm sorry if this is disappointing to hear but I have other stories and I want to get back to those. There's still good stuff to come in the next three chapters so be sure to stick around for that.**

 **Onto the reviews:**

 **Bookwriter94** **: Something tragic did happen to Cody, which will be clarified more as the story goes on. He will get out of his shell but he and his soon-to-be-buddies have a long way to go. After all, change doesn't happen instantly. Character arcs can be tricky because the trick is to pull off a subtle evolution. But friendship is the key to this change, and you will see it in both Cody and Spyro.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: Here's the next chapter. Thankfully you didn't have to wait another month!**

 **desmond bot** **: No worries. It's not that your comment was confusing. It just pertains to things that I can't answer right now for various reasons. But stick around and see what happens.**

 **snake screamer** **: Thanks for your support and the PM suggestion. Spyro isn't keen on keeping Cody around mostly because he doesn't want to stick around himself. Right now Spyro is at a point where he doesn't think he needs friends, as he's stated here. But like Cody, he will come around.**

 **rocker77889** **: Thanks for the PM. I'm glad I sort of nailed Cody's portrayal this time – you mentioned him as shy and reserved at one point, which technically is true, but I was more going for withdrawn as part of his personality. The way Cody is, he distances himself from people, it the last to speak up and the first to finish speaking. But I'm still glad I'm nailing everyone else. And the ball is starting to roll now in terms of plot so as I said, things will start speeding up in these next chapters.**

 **That's about it. Not much else to say except again, stick around for the announcement. Things have been going well so I'm feeling confident. As always, review, favorite, follow. Until next time.**


	8. A Glimmer of Hope

The dungeon was dark. It was desolate.

It was an unhallowed cesspit in the sky meant to run one through with regret the second one trudged in to never again see daylight. That stench of rotting meat with the cranking of gears began the lengthy torture with a combination meant to make convicts spill their guts. Scores of torture utensils from whips to guillotines gave the guards options for their evil-branded-justice by drawing screams of guilt and forgiveness. Once hollowed and stripped bare of spirit, all that remained was the ice coldness of the bars he now gripped, surrounded by stone walls infested with mildew turned black to cement their fate.

It was more stunning than in the evil child's most diabolical dreams.

Kaos's faithful troll was pacing right behind failing to grasp his rapture. "How did it come to this? I lived a good life, I joined books clubs, did outdoor productions, developed an honest love for philosophy and scientific theory. I graduated valedictorian-with a minor in Music Therapy! Ancients tell me how a lifetime of education and appreciation for the arts went straight down the literal latrine!?"

The evil child's huff turned to amused laughter as the troll sprained his foot kicking the broken toilet. Glumshanks scrounged for dignity with his shovelful of boasts based on worthless school accomplishments. The proper technique for being a quiet footstool was the only worthwhile education he'd need.

"Oh, Glumshanks, how can you not see the wonderful irony of this?" He raised his arms wide.

"Believe me, sir. I have only ever seen the irony of it," the troll said massaging his enlarged toes. "Though if you'll care to enlighten me?"

Kaos grabbed him by the shirt. "This is a massive step forward in forging my legacy as the greatest evil overlord in the Skylands. I, or should I say we, now face life in prison in the most impenetrable jail in this world, meaning they recognize us as true criminals at last! This is without a doubt due to the threat I posed to those lunkheaded guards when we first entered."

"You grabbed a guy and put up a rusty spoon to his face," a uniformed Mabu guard in the corner sighed. He had peeked from his newspaper with a half-asleep look.

"In my hands it was a lethal weapon!"

"I'm not cut out for the penal system!" the panicked troll rattled the bars. "Tell me there's a chance to get released on good behavior! Picking up litter in the alleyways, donating to charity funds, even singing sea shanties to the inmates! I have enough experience in all the above departments! Whatever pays my debt to society!"

"Quiet, you wart-infested buffoon!"

Kaos paced to the back wall, the serene murk relieving him of Glumshanks's ear-grating complaints and obscuring his thoughts. He grabbed the spell book out of his robes and sat in the murk ignoring the dampness. "Massive steps forward aside, this shouldn't have happened. This book should have given me enough power to blow this place to smithereens!" He scowled tapping the wing-shaped jewel in the center, smudging it with his prints. "Methinks I need more oomph…"

"Methinks this will lead to regret, but if it means tasting sweet freedom, I will shoulder the consequences on my conscience," the troll's eye twitched moaning. "Heaven forbid these words escape my lips but… do what you have to do, sir.

The evil child wafted his fingers and closed his eyes, the tome pulsing with a foreboding violet glow with motes of light drawn from the open pages. An ebony smog arose wrapping its tendrils around it. "Viribus umbram tuae uires indicare. Ostende mihi viam in qua non quaerere!"

The smog surged out and swirled around his head, bloating the ravenous shadows and consuming his form. He twitched with the spikes of migraines, bites into his mental state, from the plumes of magic rushing inside fueled by a desire for his thoughts. Opening his lids, a black backdrop devoid of sound and vividness surrounded him, the walls and ground he brushed upon no different from hardened vacuums of air. The force was making a feast of his psyche starving him into madness as he raked his digits along the space.

Yanking back control snarling, he glanced at the violet lines tracing the outlines of the jail-from Glumshanks and the guards to the textures of the cell and the crystal lights overhead. A line sparked from his feet along the empty diagram expanding into an illuminated violet hole. Into the hole dove his mind's eye into a small room and through a network of passages turning at seconds of notice. The path sped more with the light intensifying. Until everything turned to white, and his eyelids shot open.

"I have it! I have a fix on the location of the Doom Raiders!"

"Wonderful, sir," Glumshanks was on his knees pulling at the bars. "But the small matter of our imprisonment may or may not have been brought to your attention…"

"Not a problem!"

Recharged by the mist, Kaos's dark orbs grew and crackled. They shot out as bolts destroying the weak cell with a shock wave of mist, the metal pipes blowing out or disintegrating. Glumshanks scrambled out crab-like batting his eyes at the lack of bars.

"Ha-ha! Sweet freedom! The euphoria that is life beyond prison!"

A shrill alarm cancelled out Glumshanks' joy. A wave of Mabu guards armed with batons and shields soon appeared blocking the exit.

"Prisoners escaped!"

"Hands in the air, dirtbags!"

Kaos clasped his hands together and a black and violet vortex formed trembling in his palms. It thundered out and blew the guards against the walls, knocking their weapons from their hands. Distorted ripples of light flowed from their bodies and they lifted into the air guided by the evil child's fingers.

In a concerto of sadism, he hummed and twirled, picking the helpless guards and sending them crashing into one another. He watched their faces with glee for muffled scream and grimace of pain. Kaos snapped his fingers, bringing the guards dropping with a final jolt.

"Dare I say any further, but that was… impressive, sir." Glumshanks observed with awe from the floor. "If I could wager a guess, I'd note that as the Grey Danube in E Minor."

"There's a traditionalist inside me, Glummy," Kaos shuffled up staring back at his victims splattered on the floor. "Though I thought I'd add a personal touch to a classic."

"And here I thought the highest grasp of your musical taste was Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Regardless I am back to pursue academia! Higher learning awaits!"

Two figurative and literal steps back and the room was once more filled with a half-ring of armed guards. As much as Kaos enjoyed the pained groans of guards to classical tunes, he fumed refusing to waste any more time when his wicked idols awaited.

"What now, sir? I don't suppose you'd be willing to play an encore?"

"That was merely the opening act. But if the masses want more, then I believe it's time for you to take center stage," Kaos said to his servant's confusion. "I have use of the greatest talent in your repertoire, dear Glumshanks."

"To begin with, I'm surprised you know what repertoire means. Second, I fail to see how my talents as a thespian can get us past these guards in any way other than racking up points for good behavior."

"When did I say that, you idiot? I'm referring to using you as a meat shield!"

"Wha-"

Kaos blasted his servant rolling into the guards that flattened him to a splotch on the ground. He ripped his fingers out, opening the glowing hole he envisioned and dove into the dim glow. The troop of officers either gawked at his trick or turned their batons to the dazed Glumshanks he abandoned in his escape.

"So… anyone familiar with Row, Row, Row Your Boat?"

.

Kaos raced cackling through the halls, guards along the way with poor timing in place of training found themselves immobile after a quick zap by his magic. The rank and file of convicts, garbage restricted to proper behavior, shouted out cheers when he passed leaving a trail of unconscious authority. Their numbers shrank in the farther corridors flashing with a near viral abundance of crystals.

He arrived at a massive room dyed in an intense shade of blue, twice the size of the chamber he first entered. Every inch of his skin tingled with the energy flowing free, the crystals' searing light supercharging the atmosphere. It became suffocating as he stepped towards a massive metal door: a final warning to any who approached, good or evil. He raised his arms up reaching for the handles. The heavy rings dragged up with his magic, and cascades of dust shifted from the bolted rim as a giant creak echoed.

"That's as far as you go, Kaos!"

He only peeked behind at the accented call, needing to be ripped from his crowning moment. A gator-man clad in golden armor stood behind him, his pupils and blue scales sharp as knives. He raised his glacial blades and merged them into a bow with the frosted tip aimed right at his head.

"I don't care for any insurrections in my prison!"

"Snap Shot, right? The famous Trap Master and head of Cloudcracker Prison?" Kaos grinned. "I only ask since there's too many of you Sky-pukes for any decent villain's tastes."

"Most on my side feel the same in terms of you and yours," said Snap Shot. "So why don't you go back to your cell with no trouble and we'll pretend this incident never happened? But if you've still got a smidge of troublemaking left in you, there's always the less peaceful method. Your choice, mate."

"Not even a Trap Master is a match for me, you fool!" The evil child shot back facing him.

"We'll see!"

Snap Shot drew back his string as Kaos charged his black orbs. The two circled the room, light dimming as if drawn into a black hole formed by their deadlocked glares. They snarled wordless threats and taunts, veins pulsating with tension right through their skin. Their eyes shot open, and both fired.

The ice arrow with its jet of frost, the sinister black orb, they clashed with surges of power released that broke the foundations of the crystal. They exploded in a blast of indigo smog and light. Both rebounded from the burst of energy along the walls towards a second clash, sending them to their starting points.

Snap Shot drew a set of arrows and fired at a chunk of falling crystal. A crack of lightning shone as they shattered in midair. Kaos shielded his eyes from the light released, squinting under the shadow of his sleeve. The form of the gator man phased in with his heavy bow raised ready to cleave him into rubble. He raised his free hand and a swirl of smoke and rippled violet emerged, a wall of magic. The bow crashed with the force of a tidal wave against a cliff, his shield enduring by a thin margin.

"Pretty tough for an underhanded imp!" The gator-man growled out, his audacity remaining in droves.

"So, you now realize your doom is for certain!"

The two jumped back and Kaos bounded with lightning whips in each fist. Snap Shot parried them with swings from his blades releasing cracks of energy and booms that sent the walls into shudders. The warden's predatory gaze alone could fulfill the work of his blades slicing through the crystals like butter. Kaos squinted with the debris, his whips dissipating.

The evil child in mid-blink found himself launched back and pinned by his robes against a stone wall, his skull throbbing, with ice arrows on his sleeves and hood. Snap Snot set his bow to his side and trudged forward, heaving hard but clearing it with a mocking huff right in his face. Kaos grumbled with that stench of superiority he tried to force out of his airspace, at the heel of yet another Skylander.

"Life lesson for you, Kaos: good always triumphs over evil! Now, back to prison with you!"

A cliché statement for any good guy but it was a verbal straw that broke the hydra's back.

Kaos shrieked, a sphere of black and violet surrounding him. The arrows restraining him shattered into nonexistence and he levitated heads above the gator-man. The evil child raised his hands, the sphere rumbling and pooling into his palms spiking to three times its size with his maddening breaths. He forced it into the tile, the discharge shaking the entire prison and consuming the radiant blue into a malicious purple-black glow.

When it cleared, the room had gone near dark, save for any crystals that remained suspended. The evil child returned to the ground and sneered, raising his limp form to savor every beaten inch of the gator-man's face. Snap Snot coughed, smoking and crackling with dark magic.

"You're stronger than the reports said, but it doesn't matter…"

"Is that so?" Kaos gloated. "I prefer to think it's a nice bad day whenever evil gets a point on you miserable justice-toting buffoons."

"You've won this round, true… but it's still game over for you!"

The gator man pressed a silver button on his armor. The ravaged prison cried out in anarchy with blinding flashes of azure and the revived blare of alarms. Silver bars with spikes shut off the cells and the massive door behind him. Kaos shrieked tossing Snap Shot to the side and gaping at defeat in bold, rusted steel letters.

"Not to give villains advice, but you shouldn't go screaming out your plans when you barge in the door!" He said crawling up to his knees. "The Doom Raiders… will never be released!"

"…You made three mistakes today, Skylander," Kaos declared, the tense veins in his hands going calm. He moved to clutch the pocket inside his robes where the book lay, its force shifting to his hand with sinister undertones. "The first was attempting to imprison me. The second forcing demands onto me… and the third, was thinking you would get away with any of it!"

His facade ripped away revealing a rabid animal's bloodlust, shrieking with wanton blasts from his dark bolts. They tore through the walls and ripped into the defensive bars which only held for so long under his tantrum before turning brittle and crumbling. Snap Shot gasped as Cloudcracker's last defense, the final ray of hope for their precious peace shattered with a wave of smoke. Kaos snickered wringing his hands and walking into the dust from the ruins of the door, taking a foot upon a chunk of metal.

Conquest awaited.

* * *

Kaos went breathless catching sight of the villains he had spent emulating together in one place. The grotesque and menacing lot of them sat there inside a crackling force-field suspended above the patrolling guard's heads. Relics of another time with no resistance left, they remained numb to his arrival.

Black brambles infecting the pristine mineral ground held up the Doom Raiders' mystical cell in submission. Meshes of crystal along the brick walls, having long lost their shine, towered towards the squall of darkness overhead as a second cell. The towers flashed and hummed with a strike of lightning, wrathful and sadistic in its break of the pallor. Free folk of the Skylands wanted any overseers from their lore to know the vilest of evildoers were subject to judgment, reinforcing the Skylanders' regime of order. Standard walls were only fit for standard villains, yet the fury of nature was a more fitting, if terrifying type of prison.

His robes snagged along the jagged stones in the yard, no sense of heat or cold touching him in the open expanse. The patrolling guards charged at him, but the spike of his powers repelled them. Not a speck of attention or movement of hands was even worth the effort anymore. Kaos's eyes went bulbous seeing them finally turn to him.

He cleared his throat. "Greetings, Doom Raiders! My fellow compatriots in evildoing! It is an honor to meet those regarded by many as the most dangerous among the Skylands."

"What that?" The gelatinous, barnacle covered creature in the back asked pointing. "He look like something me chew up and spit out."

"Gulper, boy, I know my cookin's looked better than that, even after you got through with it!" The pepper-headed chef cackled.

"Looks more like a gremlin in pajamas if you ask me, Pepper Jack!" The metal-wearing wolf strummed his bone-harp. "Hey, little man, you run away from your mommy or something?" The others soon joined him in laughter.

This was not what he imagined.

"Enough!"

The others turned to her, brilliance flashing with every step searing unworthy eyes black. Her regal attire didn't dare touch the sullied prison platform as her strut morphed it to solid gold. Her ruby eyes carried his commoner reflection, the sight of it sending him shuddering with his spirit decaying into his appointed status as garbage. The statuesque empress lazily raised a jewel-encrusted finger pointing towards him.

"There must be some paltry magic in that scrawny body of yours if you could make it this far," she spoke.

"Paltry?" he gaped. "I broke through a steel-plated door!"

"State your name, business, and why any of it should be of my concern."

He cleared his throat and breathed. Dark magic hummed in an aura enveloping his form levitating up to the dome before them. "I am Kaaaoooosss, destined ruler of the Skylands! I am here to set you free so we may partake in misdeeds together!"

"Ain't that sweet, Chompy?" A decrepit man in a green robe said to the googly eyed puppet on his hand. "Now we got playground bullies come to help us nasty old Doom Raiders bust out?"

"Sounds like they're scraping the bottom of the barrel, Chompy!" The puppet answered in a high-pitched voice.

Kaos cleared his throat. "I come with a proposal to you–if you swear your loyalty, I will release you from this prison. Fail, and you…" he gulped, "can stay in there forever.

"My word, those are rather problematic demands," a green-skinned gentleman by top-half and mechanical spider at the bottom murmured tapping his fingers. Kaos cared for the show of politeness but couldn't help but catch the smug undertone. "I believe it's only reasonable we inquire as to her Goldenness for her word on the matter. What say you, my Queen?"

"What's there to say, Doc Klankcase?" the wolf growled giving a harsh shove to the doctor. "Peewee here just crawled in looking for a chance at duet with the real stars! I say let him run back home and play for his toy audience until he learns to get real stage presence!"

"Wolfgang say good!" Gulper chortled.

"Noooo!"

That sharp scream tore apart any shred of dignity or self-confidence he built up to that moment. Kaos rushed to the edge and threw himself on the ground bowing to them with tears forming. "Please, please, please say you'll agree to my proposal! I've come too far to just turn around and go home! Can you imagine the scores of unpleasantries I endured to get here? I even brought my mother's spell book just so I could find where you were being kept!" His sweaty palms grabbed the book to display, slipping from his grip in his eager trembling.

"Oooh-wee," Pepper Jack laughed. "Needin' some special book from his mommy to get here. Don't know 'bout y'all, but that just leaves a nasty taste in my stomach."

The vulgar Doom Raiders laughed again, leaving Kaos a puddle of shame melting in his robes. He could only clench the book and grip its bindings to the point of ripping them apart. Millenniums' worth of power in that evil tome and it couldn't even move him to a level where he could at least receive spit from heroes or villains. But a ray of hope gleamed when she, the magnificent Golden Queen stepped before him. He dragged his gaze to her, a pondering lip without turning away from him, even morphing to a smile.

Was she… interested?

"Let us not be too hasty, Doom Raiders," she spoke. "This eager young warlock has made a great risk to release us. And if it means freedom and the chance to once more spread darkness across the Skylands, the chance should not be spurned on arrogant whims."

"But your Golden Goldiness!" the puppet wearing munchkin spoke,

"You want to owe him?" His puppet talked.

"You'd deny your Queen her desire, Chompy Mage?" she asked, hand gleaming with golden light. The protesting man yanked back his puppet and held his tongue. "Now then, Kaos? We shall grant you the honor of an audience. Let's hear what you have to say."

"You mean it?"

"I am a queen of her word." She smirked.

A giddy squeal squeezed out of the evil child's open jawed smile. The swarming euphoria over the glorious moment as he bounced in place babbling and swooning. The Queen smiled at his embarrassing show, though twitched when he dragged the glorious moment longer than her or her cohorts' liking. "Ah, before that, there is the small matter of our release," she reminded him.

He stopped mid-bounce. "Right away, your Golden Gildedness!"

Kaos's demeanor switched from ecstatic geek to dominating warlock in an instant. The ground rumbled as he rose, eyes glowing and dark bolts flowing from his body, razing the walls and gem towers into ruins. The dome surrounding the Doom Raiders groaned rippling with irritation with fissure forming along its surface. Kaos strained and roared against the might of Cloudcracker Prison itself as it crumbled around him while the barrier swelled and reformed as quick as it could under his assault.

An army of Mabu soldiers led by Snap Shot climbed the steps in time to see the sky ripped apart by an unholy cross between lightning and Kaos's dark magic. They ducked from the blinding flash and grit their teeth with the shatter ringing. Recovering from the stun, their faces went awash with horror at what was behind their drawn arms.

Kaos floated with power to spare in the black orb in his right hand. Beside him were the Doom Raiders, their feet touching the prison ground surrounded by free air for the first time in centuries. The Golden Queen was right by the evil child's side, raising her finger and with a shimmering sparkle, Cloudcracker's final defense had become a series of gold trophies commemorating their freedom.

"Doom Raiders, we are free once more!" The Golden Queen chanted. Her minions raised their hands joining her.

"Oooh, Chompy!" The puppet spoke. "What's go say we celebrate by chomping a bunch of Skylander heads to paste?"

"You read my mind, Chompy!"

Chompy Mage cackled and shot away in a trail of green light and noxious gas. The puff of smoke in the wake of his leave knocked the guard statues away, the foul stench like acid corroding them. Kaos watched baffled as the demented sorcerer turned into a sickly green twinkle in the sky.

"What gives?" Kaos stared at the distant star. "I thought we were going to be one big mean dream team! Where's the love for villains!?"

"Never mind Chompy Mage. I don't know if you noticed but being in that dome for so long had a way of making him stir-crazy, on top of his regular crazy." The Golden Queen had kneeled beside him with her hand on his shoulder. The touch was icy yet illuminating, spine-tingling, everything Kaos had come to expect from her. He closed himself in on his spell book to hide the undignified combination of his blush and toothy smile.

"Now… we can talk terms." She traced her finger along the book in his hand with a cold smile.

* * *

A slow wave of Eon's hand lifted the furniture from the floor in a blue glow pale with weariness. He inhaled eyes shut as he pushed past his muddled emotions measuring the distance between the objects and walls. He stepped to the floor Portal lining the room, the glass sphere humming in reaction to his presence.

Trails of stars flowed from the inside, casting the room into the shade of a starry night, with twinkling lights. Clusters of stars pooled together and swirled into vortexes, one after the other, with brilliant spirals within their cores. A myriad of silhouettes appeared from inside of each one, floating to various points in awaiting of the word of the old wizard seeming oblivious in his calmness.

"Greetings to you, Sensei Skylanders," Eon opened his eyes to attention. "Mightiest of warriors and seekers of heroes new. My old friends…"

"Cut the honorifics, Eon!" One of them cut in, the rims of his mirror flaring and turning red. "Rumors are getting hot here in Skylands. Is it true that we got a new Portal Master?"

"Indeed," spoke a female voice from another. "The news has spread like wildfire. These cadets and their baffling love for gossip..."

Eon pursed his lips touching the static fluff of his beard. Years of diplomatic communication amongst multiple species were being put to the ultimate test in choosing his next words. "It is true, the boy arrived just today, brought here with Jet-Vac's class. Although, things have not gone as expected…"

"What does it matter? A new Portal Master after so long!" One portal bounced and spun in a merry ring around the others.

"Hold," the gong-like ring of a voice from above the others spoke. The source descended to meet Eon, face to obscured face. "Elaborate on this, Eon."

The old wizard peered into the Portal, his gaze ripping past shadow to see the dignified face of a penguin clad in armor. His beak profound as a blade and his stature as vast as an ocean he remained stoic in response to the old wizard's long pause. Eon sighed, unable to meet the face of his friend in that moment. "I have spoken with the boy, King Pen. Though he has made it apparent he has no interest in becoming a student."

The collective "What!?" rang out. Eon expected as much.

"This cannot stand!"

"Agreed, even now the darkness spreads! Are we to just sit and wait like mewling Mabu pups for this boy to change his mind?"

"I don't buy it for a second!" came the aggressive accented-cry of a female from another window. "I'd wager my cutlass this screams of treachery. The opportune moment that a Portal Master deigns to grace us with his arrival, yet refuses to undergo training? For all we know, he's already chosen a side…"

"Tide Pool, you're not suggesting this new apprentice has fallen to darkness's sway?"

The old wizard stepped forward focused hard on the accusing Portal. "I can refute this myself, and you'd place stock on my word. The boy possesses a gentle spirit, of that I am of firm belief." The Portal returned to its post with a trail of bitter grumbles along the way.

"Perhaps so, but wars are not won through gentle spirits," King Pen said. "If fate has graced us with the appearance of a new Portal Master, then we must seize the opportunity and help him develop his powers. You know most well that the wicked grant us no respite."

Eon grimaced. "With due respect, old friend, the boy's gentle spirit is overshadowed by his clear vulnerability. He is in no condition for battle. Pushing him into any manner of training will only yield the opposite effect."

"So, your plan is to pamper this fledgling, as you did your star pupil?" the first asked. "His talents have grown well over the years, but his arrogance has grown a great deal more!"

"Eh, well…"

"Perhaps another teacher is best, lest you praise these new cadets for shaking hands!" One voice called out. "You insist the dragon is special, but we have discussed it and we believe you fritter any potential you have claimed to be there with your daily showers of praise!"

Eon dispelled the common ground of criticism with the clench of his hand. His creation of the hot-air spewing monster zooming by the window was an issue for another time. "This growing darkness has not escaped my notice, nor have counteractions against it been outside of my thoughts. More than anything, I believe they both, dragon and child, play a vital role in stopping it!"

"Yet you ain't gonna do nothing to get them ready for it!" a far mightier voice roared. "I say send them both to King Pen! He knows how to turn a cadet into a real Skylander! He'll whip those boys into shape!"

"Agreed, send them to King Pen!"

"Seconded!"

"That settles it!"

Eon's presence went to black amidst the discussion, shutting his eyes as the blurs of light from the Portal swerved behind his eyelids. Sparks of concern and tension ground in the hardened warriors' tones and as they spun discussing their options and his form hardened at the burn. Any pacifying words to grant strength to suppress their worry might be as effective as a breath against a thunderstorm.

They needed to see that silver lining in the clouds, a dragon and boy delivering the sun shining on their backs. He had seen greatness in Spyro since the day he'd found him as a hatchling atop a pile of Greebles in the Falling Forest. It lifted him on air seeing that same potential in Cody when the small boy came, closed off as he was, into his view. Young and worlds apart in every sense, but he smiled with the thought of the two of them becoming the closest of friends.

Eon opened his eyes once more. All the Portals had near joined into a mass of light, the silhouettes of the Senseis baring down on him. The Skylanders, regardless of rank, always heeded the word of a Portal Master, especially one of his caliber. The old wizard cleared his throat and stood straight, his arms folded behind him.

"Well, then. Consider this a new proposal," he extended his hand towards them. "I wish for King Pen to keep surveillance on the two of them to keep track of their progress. To allay your doubts."

"So, keep an eye on them?"

"Isn't that what you've been proposing from the start? What is supposed to be different?"

"The difference is that I wish to take the initiative based on an old dream of mine, one formed when this institution first began," said Eon. "If you all would allow it."

"You'd squabble what little time we have with your experiments, Eon?" said Tide Pool.

The master smiled. "I believe this will work in everyone's favor. If all goes well, Spyro and Cody will both gain the motivation they need in preparation for the coming days."

Each of the Portals swerved, mimicking the thoughts of the veteran warriors. But King Pen's voice came from behind to quell the mutterings. "You have elected that I train these two, so you would agree with my consensus on the matter. I will allow this. I have known Master Eon for the longest time, and I have complete faith in his judgment. Should things become unfavorable, I will step in. Is this suitable for everyone?"

Those murmurs rose again, but words came embedded within them and they sounded agreeable. The old wizard nodded, the obstinacy and pride molded into the personality of every Skylander laughable. "We have come to a consensus, then. Thank you for your time, everyone." The old wizard raised his head bolstered with his hand clutched to his chest in settlement. "This meeting is now adjourned."

Each of the windows drained into themselves, compacting into orbs of light. They burst into sparkles and soon the room returned to the normal tone of day. Eon stroked his beard walking up the steps towards the window, an intense focus beaming out to the school lot.

He believed in them both, but if his suspicions were true, they had to believe in each other.

* * *

 **And we're back, folks!**

 **Thanks to all the people who have given new comments and likes to my story. I'm glad it's been catching fire a bit, especially now as things begin to move along. This chapter turned out okay in my opinion, a step in the right direction in terms of the writing style. Though I'll try to step up by the next one.**

 **The next two chapters will officially bring us to the quarter mark of the story. By then I'll unveil my news. I have been making some adjustments on my notes for this story in the meantime, and it's turning out well. The story's turning out to be bigger than I thought it could be when it was an idea in my head. I hope more people will come to give their support.**

 **To the reviews!**

 **Bookwriter94** **: Thanks for your interest in Cody, and as for Spyro and Kaos-well, the thing about stories is that like life they don't always go the way you intend or predict, usually. Kaos especially – he had to beg to get their help. But Chompy Mage will be enough trouble for the Skylanders right now. Also, thanks for your interest in my other works – keep in mind however that my two HTTYD works were from… another time.**

 **Jacktheripper75** **: Your question was a difficult one, namely because I was trying to find the words to describe it. Spyro and Cody's relationship is a big part of this story, but the easiest answer right now is: they don't have a relationship. I mean, Cody does see Spyro as a good Samaritan, but other than that he is just barely an acquaintance. Cody is in a position where he bars himself from making connections with anyone. Trying to get over that and learning to trust and feel safe with someone, that's his arc.**

 **SkyHooves: I'm glad you've taken an interest. Cody will come around soon enough.**

 **And thanks to zero fullbuster, Haxorus Knight and MYTHICBOY for your reviews as well. As for rocker77889 I hope you get to catch up soon and I hope your work comes along as well.**

 **Honestly, I have to say as a writer that I really enjoy how everyone seems to have taken an interest in my original character Cody. It makes all the work I have put into developing him worth it. You'll see even more of him as the story goes on and I hope anyone who can relate to him feels inspired by the growth he and Spyro will undergo.**

 **Until the time comes, review, favorite, follow! I'm thinking the next chapter will be a shorter one so look forward to a possible early release!**


	9. Chance of a Lifetime

There was a generous distance between Cody and Spyro as they went along the side of the school. Cody shifted in his steps while Spyro hovered along, sometimes quick enough to pull Cody into a normal walking pace. The boy clutched the sleeve of his jacket keeping his gaze on anything from the pebbles on the ground to the patches of flowers on the side.

He swallowed and pursed his lips. "…You didn't have to do this. Show me everything."

"Well, unless you got a compass in that jacket or a natural sense of direction, I'd say I do," the dragon turned flying backwards. "Seeing as you're gonna be a student, it might be a problem if you can't find your way around the place."

"I thought you said it was good I wasn't becoming a student." Cody furrowed his brow.

"Uh… really?" The dragon went lax folding his claws behind his back. "I think of myself as a model student, and so does Eon. Soooo can't say that sounds like me."

"But you said I dodged a—"

"Nope!"

"But-"

Spyro grabbed his shoulders and gave the boy a rattle. "Hey, hey, why focus on the there and then? We got us the here and now with our tour: lots to show, lots more to tell! Now come on, we're burning daylight!"

The dragon shoved the boy along the path and into the thick of the campus. It appeared simple enough on the outside but inside it was a labyrinth of brick paths dotted with students chatting or on the move to their next class. Between keeping up with Spyro's rushing and reaching for his hood Cody nearly fell flat on his face once or twice. That was at least enough to convince Spyro to settle back into a normal pace to their first stop.

Into a tower and climbing a spiraling flight of stairs, Spyro opened the door into the barest qualification for a room. A single cobbled brick wall and shade from a tree grown along the side, three rows with desks closing towards an open floor, and a small blackboard in front. Cody blinked wandering in towards the floor. Fingers clenched along his hood, he soon became frozen in place.

"It doesn't have a ceiling, or that many walls..."

Spyro landed with a drifting chuckle. "Oh, trust me, there's plenty of walls…"

Cody walked over towards the desk brushing a hand on the surface, staring wistfully into his reflection on the wood. "This really is a school, then. If it has classrooms…"

"Yeah, and we have classes and lectures too. Insane, right?"

The boy turned to his dragon guide. "Wait, is anyone holding a class here? Shouldn't we leave?

"Nah, this here's JV's class. He cancelled it for the field trip today," Spyro leapt in front of him perching on the seat. "Which is crazy because you'd think old grumpy-feathers would only stop class if it was the end of the world."

"Right…"

The dragon grinned with a spark in his eyes and leapt into the seat, rapt with attention staring at Cody. "Going along those lines, what's school like in your world? You got this kind of typical classroom setup or what? Are teachers there just as boring? How long are lunch breaks?"

Cody backed onto the floor. "Oh, um… actually—"

"Right, I hear you. Who gives a dragonfly about school?" The dragon burst from the seat onto the floor and leaned into Cody, forcing the boy back. "Got any special stuff you do after the bell rings? Maybe food? Sports? Just chillin' in Casa de Cody? Details, man; what do you do for fun in your neck of the universe?"

"I-I-I don't…. it's not that I," Cody's back met the blackboard as Spyro continued to bare into him with those eager eyes with his tail wagging on hyper-drive. The boy gulped fussing over his jacket for a long moment.

"Come on, there's gotta be-"

A familiar flicker and pop of green smoke flashed over Spyro's head. Stealth Elf had appeared weighing down on him tracing circles on the dragon's horn. "Hey there, guys! Just dropping in to check how the tour was going. I'm sure Cody's getting every _second_ of the Academy experience. Right, Spyro?"

Spyro gave an eye at her as she vaulted to his side with a hand on her hip, her smile wide with knowing. "Haha, yeah. It's… it's going great, Elfy, real great. I mean, what? Are you shocked to see that I'm giving a proper tour here?"

"Honestly, I'm stunned a fire hasn't broken out thanks to you messing with the Supercharger vehicles… again."

The dragon flew to the boy and dragged him by the arm towards the door. "Yeah, well sorry we can't stick around, but we were just heading over to our next stop. Big place, lots of stuff to cover, you know."

She frowned. "Quick to move along. You sure you didn't miss anything?"

"It's a classroom, Elf. An empty one. Not much to miss."

Stealth Elf popped in again before them with a hand in halting. "Yeah, that's a flag-raiser right there. Not that I doubt you, of course, but seeing as you're here of all places you must have taken the chance to cover the different classes we have?"

"What?" Spyro swatted a claw scoffing. "Course I did! As if I'd dodge something as important as education!"

"Well, actually…"

"Oh?" Stealth Elf focused a glowing eye on Cody's roving gaze, catching the doubt written in bold letters. "Cody seems to think you've got the reflexes for it. Guess there's a challenge in giving a tour, after all."

This time, Stealth Elf popped behind Cody and ripped the boy out of Spyro's grip. The dragon clenched his claws after the hand Cody drew back to himself as the elven girl pulled him back to the floor's center. He dropped to the ground with his arms crossed watching, a dead pout on his features.

"Okay, Eruptor gave you a bit of a brush over, but there's a lot we have to cover here. We're not tossing you into a den of monsters right off the bat if that's still freaking you out." She pulled a pair of crescent blades with spiked golden hilts from her back, twirling them between her fingers. With skill on the level of second nature, she juggled and spun them while speaking. "The Academy has entrance exams you take to give the teachers an idea of where your skill level's at and what has… room for improvement."

"But I don't have any idea how to fight… or do magic… or anything."

Stealth Elf chuckled. "Don't worry. I think Master Eon might make an exception in your case. Odds are you'll get placed in Combat and Magic Fundamentals. You'll get to cover most of the basics before anyone expects you to do this." She flashed above the tree and drop kicked a branch, yielding a gentle shower of leaves. In a series of misty flashes she darted left and right with twirling slices with her blades. As she reappeared in front of Cody every left fallen from the tree had broken into bits before any could reach the ground.

"Wow…" Cody whispered.

"Like I said, best not try that until you've got a couple years under your belt." Stealth Elf stood tossing up her blade and catching it without thought. "In the meantime, there's the other standard stuff like History of Treasures, Herbology, Weapon and Armor Maintenance, Skylands Geography—"

"Ugh!" Spyro groaned behind them. "I'm falling asleep just hearing the names! Not that it hasn't been riveting, Elf, but we still got tons of school to cover. So, bye!"

"Hey! Spyro!"

The dragon seized back Cody, scooping him up and flying him over the balcony. Stealth Elf ran over and watched as the two became a single speck disappearing into the shifting expanse of the Academy. The elven girl frowned with hands to her hips and a growl sounding past her sealed lips. She turned back, a loud sigh escaping her mouth as she vanished.

* * *

The empty calming classroom contrasted with their next stop, the Training Islands. The commotion from several machines in action as each platform was in constant rotation was nerve-wracking. It was a deadly gauntlet with swinging maces, razor blades, and pillars launching spines at a moment's notice. Metal figures appeared from holes in the ground breathing fire and walls jutted at any random point. In the middle of everything were a handful of cadets maneuvering through the obstacles to the best of their ability.

The spiked mace swinging at the largest island had caught a pair of students and flung them off the course. Cody winced as they bounded off a glowing web surface materializing out of thin air. "Are those guys okay?" He pointed a shaking finger watching them slide to the bottom of the bubble.

Spyro spat. "Doubt it. They're totally going to be feeling that next week."

"This is crazy. They expect me to train on this thing?" Cody whimpered. "I'll be turned into mincemeat the second I step onto it."

"What you need is a smidge of motivation," Spyro grinned. He bared low with claws firm. "Watch and learn."

Spyro zoomed out of the gate and past a barrage of throwing stars before anyone caught wind of the purple blur. The dragon landed and flipped forward and back over the lower blades as if playing jump rope. He leapt up and grabbed the chain of the spiked ball swinging and yelling out, stopping the other cadets in mid training. The way he moved across every defense was like water through cracks, bouncing off the heads of the dummies and slithering in flight around the pillars before they closed in.

Cody blinked observing the ease with which Spyro moved, but the distasteful grumbles of the other cadets were also of note. Spyro had leapt off the tower on the last platform and bounced by his tail over the wall to reach the end, landing by Cody's side once more. Despite his display, not a single other cadet gave any acknowledgement, only glared at him and returned to their own struggles.

The boy cleared his throat and the awkward silence. "You're…. you seem good at this."

"Seem nothing! I can run circles around this playpen with my eyes closed." Spyro stretched in mock effort. "Want to watch me do it with my eyes closed?"

"Um… no thanks…"

"Your loss, it would have been epic." Spyro leaned in again. "So, what's your world got in terms of exercise? Not that I wouldn't count you as a prime specimen like yours truly but folks in your parts must have a killer workout routine, I bet? Do you roll around on logs, or dodge beams? Is there anything with dangerous creatures involved? I mean, whatever gets your blood pumping, right?"

"W-Well… the thing is—"

An explosion boomed on the training course. The pair winced looking to the source where a lofty tower of smoke was rising from a pile of wrecked machinery. Out of the smoke with glowing between the cracks in his body was Eruptor, stopping out with a satisfied grin and his stubs burning. Drops of lava poured from them onto the wreckage, dissolving them into heated puddles.

"Speew-tiful!" The rock creature breathed in, looking to them and waving. "Spyro! Cody! What are the odds I'd run into you two over here at the Training course?"

Spyro's head and wings drooped with a deadpan stare out to his classmate. "Yeah… I'm wondering that myself."

"Oh, well nice to see you too, sunshine-scales." Eruptor noted the sour look on the dragon's face but turned to Cody. "Thought I'd stop by, get in a few rounds at the course. Pure coincidence, by the way; it's not like I knew you'd be here because that would be spying, and I'm not spying. Wild guess, again totally random, but I'm guessing you got cold feet with this stuff?"

Cody nodded.

Spyro crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Wow, it's like you can see inside his timid ten-year-old brain. Tell us what his shoe size is too."

"Normally I'd stuff a fireball down your smart mouth for that, but I'll ignore it." Eruptor's glare gave the impression of volcano on critical mass, but he took Cody and moved to the edge of the starting gate. "Now what you gotta do is let loose, get your head into game mode. There's a trick to the machines; I figured it out after class a couple weeks ago."

"A trick?" Cody asked.

"Oh, yeah. You just need to time it to this old song my nana taught me when I was a little pebble." The rock creature took Cody's shoulder in one cooled stub and gestured to the course with the other. "See, the machines move at this one set speed, and you keep in time with the best to get past the obstacles-I figured it out from watching Elfy on the course every day for a few weeks. I got this crazy big headache afterwards though."

"Real fascinating, E." Spyro grabbed Cody by the shoulders and hoisted him. "Love to hear more, but I got a whole itinerary to get done."

"Oh, what? I can't give a few helpful pointers?" Eruptor melted into fury watching the dragon back away with the boy. "You're the only one who gets to be good at stuff? That it, Mr. Talented?"

"What are you talking about? You got lousy timing down pat. You want to think about giving a lesson sometime? Later!"

With Cody in tow, Spyro vanished into the distance again. The rock creature's eye twitched and body glowed with the sound of the dragon's laugh as he escaped once more. He roared with a plume of fire shooting from the spike atop his head, the other cadets running at the sign of his temper. As he breathed hard in the aftermath, he caught the pool of magma flowing from the edges of the platform and grumbled to himself.

"One of these days, Spyro. One of these days…"

* * *

Spyro was off like a bullet wasting no time as they reached their next destination. A single road with buildings on each side on a sole island and Mabus roaming the sidewalk. Cody tried talking his time, but Spyro pushed him forward almost propelled on engines.

"Okay, so campus town is next up on the tour! Here's the whole town!" Spyro zoomed in front gesturing to the entire area.

A simple explanation, but Cody remained looking baffled. "A campus town? So, this place is supposed to be connected to your school?

Spyro grabbed his own horns and breathed through his nostrils, eye twitching. But like the flip of a coin he dropped the face and he was back to his usual cheery self. "Yup, sure. Everything for your basic Skylander needs! Gym! Bookstore! Day spa! Mission board!"

He flew towards each of the buildings, marked clearly enough for anyone to tell at first glance. The sign of a book for the bookstore, a dumbbell for the gym, a cloud for the day spa meant to mean relaxation, and crossed swords for battle likely marked the building for the mission board. Cody still stumbled around mouth ajar trying to make sense of the pictures as though they were scribbles on paper. Spyro only gestured harder to each sign multiple times, the picture more than enough clue as far as he and any furry pedestrian watching in the small town was concerned.

Spyro dropped his arms and zipped towards Cody in a flash. "Right, enough about that! I mean I bet you've got places like these in your world too, right? Heck, you've probably got way more spots than just this one rinky-dink street, I'm guessing?"

"You seem… really interested in Earth…."

"Ah!" Spyro's pupils shifted, his body straight as a board. "Just call it… idle curiosity. It's not every day someone from another world visits." The dragon leaned in close. "More along those lines, I don't suppose there's anything you're not seeing here that you usually see there? Something you're used to seeing there? Something you wanna see here?"

"You know what I'd like to see?" A familiar girl's voice called out. "You, giving an actual tour!"

Spyro flinched and forced his dead weight to drag around. Stealth Elf and Eruptor were both there with none too pleased looks on their faces. The dragon forced himself to smile as they approached, with an eye twitch Cody would have to be blind not to have noticed. "What can I say? I'm setting records for tours, here!"

"It's been twenty minutes, dude…" Eruptor deadpanned.

"Yeah, well, the Academy's not that big!"

Elf popped by his side with her arms crossed, pacing into him with one firm step after another. "Forget it, Spyro. You had your chance, and just like with everything else, you played Skyball with it and tossed it off the edge. We need the kid here; Master Eon needs him here. If you won't take it seriously, Eruptor and I are taking over this thing."

"Not taking it seriously, are you serious?" Spyro flew up. "I covered this place top to top, what could I have missed? My memory is perfect, on top of everything else about me!"

"I guess we'll find out," Eruptor marched. "At least we'll have more than a minute per place!"

Spyro gripped the grass watching his classmates move in on Cody, oblivious with one arm gripping the other. He flashed over and backed with Cody near held hostage as they closed in. "H-Hey, I got an idea," he wrapped around the boy. "How about I show Code here this super-secret spot, the one I've been saving for the end. And you two, uh, head over to the bookstore and grab a campus map?"

"Nice try, Spyro!" Eruptor stomped leaning right into the pair's faces. "But we ain't doing you any favors this time!"

"But what if-"

"No!" Eruptor shouted.

"Maybe if I—"

"Forget it!" Stealth Elf popped in.

"How about—"

"NO!"

"Aahhh!"

Cody screamed and ran, near forgotten in the heat of the argument. Static from the tension between the three cadets still ran through him leaving him on his knees panting for air. The three stared at him on pins and needles frozen mid-reaction. Cody forced himself to swallow and take shuddering breaths winding down as he rose.

"Thank you… Spyro, everyone, for showing me around," he spoke without turning, wringing his hands. "But, I really just want to go home. I'm sorry."

The boy walked off, going into a jog, and finally into a full-blown run. The three were quick to turn on each other with glares and angry rants, their voices unintelligible. A passing Mabu couple noticed and soon blew into an argument themselves. Cody half-turned back and saw how in no time the ripple effect had the entire town burning with chaotic noise. His features sinking, he shut his eyes and fled covering his ears.

Far enough away, Cody stretched with arms in place and unwound with the trickling of a flowing fountain. His hand moved almost dazed reaching for the smooth rock just inches away, propping himself down to sit. Fingers slid along the stone, his breath in time with the movement clear with no hitch or crack. The fragrance from the sprawling wildflowers filled his nostrils as he leaned into the seat, drips of water cooling his face. Cody's hand dragged over his skin, rubbing on the bags starting to form.

He turned to the abundance of flowers right by his own hand and his eyelids squinted. Fingers that had been previously drained of life retreated as if the field were on fire. The boy pulled his knees to his chest blocking the field of flowers from view, harmful to his sight, gulping a multitude of nerves down his throat. "I shouldn't be here…"

A bleating from his right sent him startled.

He turned to the culprit: a sheep with a full coat of wool wandering up to his side with innocent green eyes. Cody didn't fully relax as the sheep bleated softer crossing to his side.

Leaning into the rock, Cody pulled a hand out and pet the small creature's head. "At least there's something in a world in the sky to keep me grounded." The sheep melted into his touch, giving the boy enough boldness to pet its head whole. As the small creature readied to settle near him, there was no trace of a smile.

A familiar presence came close, explaining why. "Don't let those little terrors pull their wool over your eyes…"

"Ahh!" Cody leapt out of his seat.

Out of nowhere was the bespectacled Mabu Hugo, a club in one hand and a spray can in the other. The sheep's eyes, once sweet green, turned blood red as it growled like a savage beast. Hugo and the sheep locked gazes and bared down as if waiting for the other to move and slaughter to break out. The sheep took half a step and Hugo screamed letting loose with the can of spray, a thick red fog with a stinging scent polluting the air.

"You won't take another victim, foul demon!" Hugo's voice called through the smog. "For the Skylanders, I shall smite thee!"

Cody, on the ground, fell back closing in. "I can't take much more of this…"

An explosion rang out. In every part of the Academy, creatures looked to the source of the sound. Reactions ranged from alert stances to outright panic.

Something had come.

* * *

 **Okay, so I thought this chapter would come a little sooner than expected, but guess not since it took the standard two weeks. Various factors for that – sickness, work, school, not to mention doing a beta read for another user's work. NinjaRiderWriter and their How to Train Your Dragon work, The Gift that Bonds Us. Nice read, check it out sometime.**

 **Anyway, this is going to sound redundant by now, but I don't think I was too pleased with this one, and I have a pretty good idea as to why. I might go back and rewrite it in the future, but then again this could turn out okay in the long run. I'm still a developing writer myself, guys.**

 **But enough about me. On to the reviews. Lot less than usual this time:**

 **Bmarr** **: Thanks for the kind words, and glad you like the story. I have come to respect the writers' craft with everything I've learned on the subject.**

 **Foxchick1** **: Ask and you shall receive.**

 **And that should be about it. Hopefully by chapter 10 thinks will start picking up, since it will be the end of the First Act and when I'll make my big announcement. Just think of this as the warm up for the big stuff coming in the next chapter when the Skylanders find themselves in deep water.**

 **Until then, review, favorite, follow!**


	10. A New Hero

A crowd of Mabus with the occasional cadet stampeded for the exit. In their tide of ranks the beam flashed from the Portal with the party of four racing past. Many of them looked behind at Spyro, hopping on heads leading the charge, and the boy, buried among them with his hood pulled. As the crowd boarded the winged boats at the end of the walkway, they ran into the entrance, towards the source of the danger. The consensus as they turned to each other was they were both crazy.

Though odds were, it was Spyro's fault.

For Spyro, not even a Portal Master could have taken him fast enough to the coliseum, the one place on campus that still caught his eye. A final gateway surrounded by and stretching into infinity, a sacred place, infested with a plague of stalk-eyed vermin crawling over its walls munching it away. The pristine castle towers, embodying the watch of Skylanders past, now ruined with holes and chunks of stone fallen. Stands any other day filled with screaming fans were left abandoned with the creatures searching for spare concession-stand fare. It was eye-catching for all the wrong reasons.

"W-What's going on? Did we step into a feeding frenzy?" Eruptor asked.

"Look, in the ring!" Elf pointed. "Isn't that…?"

Atop a mound of sickly green blooms expelling fumes and drips of slime was the villain himself dancing and hopping. The villain Chompy Mage of the Doom Raiders with his wrinkled features and bestial fangs complete with a green robe, staff in one hand and ridiculous puppet on the other. It was difficult to tell him apart from the authentic monstrosities under his command destroying everything.

"Chompy Mage?" Spyro went airborne, almost looking at a celebrity. "For real, Chompy Mage? Evil dud with the 'I Love Chompy' sign? Double record, one for the puppet? THAT Chompy Mage!?"

"Yes, Spyro. That Chompy Mage."

The dragon rolled out of his seat laughing when a classmate gave their report on the old wizard who somehow made the cut for a Doom Raider. A hermit who embraced the primitive nature of the Chompy, dimwitted creatures that attacked anything that moved. As his puppet told the authorities, he was born and raised a Chompy and thought the world was a step closer to utopia if everyone had beady eyes, green skin, and trash compactor mouths. Years of needed therapy were clearly left on the back-burner.

"The heck's going on!?" Eruptor yelled. "The Doom Raiders were supposed to be locked up in Cloudcracker Prison! And Snapshot should've thrown away the key! All they could've done was tick off the guards!"

"Did something happen at the prison?" Stealth Elf wondered.

"I'm telling ya, I knew it wasn't safe when we went there on our field trip! He must have dug under with spoons made of soap and toilet paper, or a guard got stabbed by that puppet!"

Cody half jogged, half crept from out of their shadows. "What do we do?"

"The only thing we can do: find shelter and leave this to Master Eon and the Skylanders." Stealth Elf moved her hand to the boy's shoulder. "I'm sure they've already gotten the heads up. Explosions out of nowhere are usually a good hint something's wrong."

"Why wait?"

Spyro shot from out of their ranks. With laser focus, the world shrunk away, only him and the target in his sights. The dragon made a flying sprint for the evil mage in the ring, but stopped hard as a hand grabbed his tail. Gravity and backfired energy worked together slamming his jawline on a rock. Spyro cast a glance at the elven girl, but she didn't want to take the hint to release him.

"What are you doing?"

"Hello? Bad guy at twelve o'clock and I've got the perfect chance to get the jump!" He yanked his tail back and flew above them. "Taking this guy down's worth a trophy! Credits for graduation! Bragging rights for a year!"

Stealth Elf slapped her forehead groaning. "Okay, between broiling sheep for Hugo and one-upping Kaos, I can understand the confidence boost. But let me give you a much-needed reality check! We're cadets; we're not ready to handle this level of an enemy!"

"Maybe YOU'RE not, but no way I can't handle some warped loony who clearly didn't get out for good behavior!"

Eruptor growled seizing Spyro by the horn almost melting it with the sear of his stub. "For real, do you not know the meaning of the word 'RESTRAINT!' You cannot expect to take on Chompy Mage and walk out in one piece!"

Spyro pulled his horn back and gave a smirk. "The only thing I expect is for you guys to take notes on how to beat a Doom Raider in record time!"

"Spyro… maybe we should wait." Cody stuttered. "I mean… you could get—"

"Less talking, more baddie bashing!"

Spyro was out the gate, tackling away needless 'voice of reason' tendencies with the worst timing. Any more comments from his roommates were wind on the ears. The sun hit his scales as he soared onto the stage setting his own time.

The dragon took a spot far out of reach above the demented villain. Teachers and students alike tended to nay-say everything from capabilities to common sense in him, but he was farther from humiliation than they preferred to think or hope. Chompy Mage turned to him mid-cackle with a hop on the plump blossom he stood on, his puppet thrown back in laughter with him.

"The jig is up, Chompy Mage!" Spyro jabbed a talon with laser focus.

"What have we here, Chompy Puppet?" The old man grinned. "One little Skylander cadet on his own! He don't look like a Chompy!"

The puppet moved on its own. "Then I don't like him!"

"The feeling's mutual! You and your big-jaw in-laws are going to be spending quality time together back in Cloudcracker Prison!"

"Your bark is obviously worse than your bite, little dragon, as opposed to us Chompies who keep it even!" Chompy Mage pointed his doll-tipped staff back at him. "Though I might be more of the mentality to spare you from a well-deserved chomping if you agree to become a Chompy!"

Spyro scoffed. "You kidding? I'd have to give up these devilish good looks, and you're on a whole new level of demented if you're thinking of doing that!"

Chompy Mage hopscotched along the bulbs, squelches as he tapped, waving his staff which emitted sparkling puffs of smog. Chompies materialized dropping to the arena floor and ran from him, jumping as far as their stubby legs could go. Spyro switched on-guard watching the creatures reach by inches only to chatter and flail reaching for air when they failed. His form slackened while staring deadpan, cocking an eye.

"Okay, this is just sad…"

Spyro pulled in a breath, his chest rising flooding his lungs and throat with heat. The air returned as a stream of flame scorching the path it carved in the dirt floor black. Controlling and squeezing out breath for every wisp of heat, his fire swept the stadium driving the Chompies from the stands. The Chompies leapt away shrieking, though many still caught fire and ran in circles screaming.

"Charlie! Chase! Chenille!" The Chompy Mage looked to the Chompies rubbing their hides, turning on each other and nibbling their limbs. He looked back to Spyro fuming. "Don't bully my Chompies!"

"Chenille is sensitive about her looks!" The puppet cried.

The staff waved in the air again sending a ring of smoke across the scene. Vein-like vines grew from the craters left as remnants of the Chompies' destructive feast. Massive buds swelled from random points across, crackling and spilling green slime with a disgusting smell of moldy fruit. As Spyro's stomach churned from the disaster of nature, the plants blossomed like the flip of a hatch, launching newly birthed Chompy bullets.

Spyro swung his tail and swatted away the Chompies from every direction, each of them falling like flies. He snagged one and bounced by his tail spike. "That all you got?"

"All I've got? Hmph! I've only been slightly raising the difficulty, it looks to be!"

Chompy Mage went giddy dancing with the tip of his staff lost in plumes of smoke. The stadium had become a wilderness as the vines overtook every inch of free stone. Buds swelled, grew, and withered without control firing Chompies at the dragon-marked-target. Spyro found himself more exerted than planned, sweating with his breaths drawing longer. He heaved round housing a trio of vermin. "What gives? You bringing out the extended family?"

"Oh yeah! We even included the cousins!" Chompy Mage smirked. "You might've noticed the new additions, though!"

"Folks say Chompies are dumb, but we're good at multiplying!" The puppet cackled.

Spyro drew high and saw the entire ground had become a mass of shifting green maws, their chatters insanity-inducing. Spyro swallowed short gulps of air mid-pant in between sucking breaths. The odds were less in his favor, but he could still win. The dragon shot a fireball into a section of the crowd, a splash of burning Chompies in the wake of the explosion.

He followed suit with three more shots, each one growing weaker while the Chompy cluster stamped out his embers. Wings dragging like lead, Spyro plummeted to the ground, his head bowed and claws withering on the dirt. A large patch of Chompies rushed him the second he touched earth. Tumbling as they piled atop him, he cried out as they bit into his hide, their teeth painful as daggers leaving cracks in and tears between the scales.

"SPYRO!" Wincing he caught Elf and Eruptor blocked at the entrance by a wall of Chompies ready to make the two cadets into a fresh meal. He turned to glare at the Chompy Mage standing triumphant atop his mountain of blooms.

"So much for Mr. Hotshot!" He laughed. "Now you're gonna find out what I do to any non-Chompy!"

"Enough!"

The dragon raised his head despite the enraged Chompy hopping on it. On the wall was a silhouette outlined by sunlight, the flutter of robes in time. Master Eon with his wizened features came into view, an arm raised and fist clenched. Spyro's head went heavy swearing the hard stare from the old wizard was aimed at him along the way to Chompy Mage.

"Skylanders, UNITE!"

With the old wizard's command, several more figures leapt atop the rim of the arena. They jumped with weapons raised: swords to axes to fists, bows, wands, and firearms. The shock wave from their joint crash shook the island, the Chompies limp as they swirled in the gust. Spyro's eyes stung from the waves of dirt caught in his eyes, coughing as the dust settled. In his stupor were the firm press of a foot and the cock and hum of some gun.

"When this is over, I hope you're prepared to serve detention for the rest of your life." Jet-Vac's voice called. The dragon caught the undertones of that sharp glare too common.

"Always with the sweet talk, huh?"

He turned to the others lined around them, the Academy teachers. Pop Fizz, Hoot Loop, Wash Buckler, Blast Zone, and plenty of others. Daily, that line of heroes would be found in front of a blackboard going over basic element knowledge, some more meticulous than others in one bird-man's case. Still, these Skylanders were still as named, holding or transferring classes to serve on active duty and defeating villains popping up around the Skylands. That double-life cool factor was likely the only reason Spyro wasn't napping through every one of their lessons.

"Right then, Skylanders!" Jet Vac pointed his gun at Chompy Mage. "Battle Formation Alpha, variation E-29!"

The others all looked at each other muttering.

"Come on, Jet-Vac!" The blue-furred gremlin, Pop Fizz, cried. "You know we don't keep up with your fancy battle talk!"

"Fine, excuse me for wanting to put a spot of organization into it. Charge!"

What happened next was, Spyro could best describe, a hot mess. Colorful explosions, gusts and flashes of light and fists, and a chorus of battle cries came from the teachers in a stampede that mowed the Chompies and overgrowth. The green creatures were splattered on the walls, bouncing off the stage's rim, or sent flying over the edge of the arena. Chompy Mage watched the arc of one unfortunate Chompy that was on the receiving end of a beaker-induced burst.

"Oh, now I really don't like you!" He hopped from his mound. "Let's see if you can blast, blast, blast and fight, fight, fight your way out of this!"

The mage waved his staff and summoned a mountain's worth of eggs in a ring of sparkles. The Skylanders leapt away from the cascade and fumes of smoke and shell as new Chompies came into being and pounced, rows of teeth spiraling. Jet-Vac raised his gun and fired out a volley of swirling wind bullets. The Chompies caught in the rounds swirled mid-leap carried away in the breeze.

He aimed his gun back at Chompy Mage. "Cease and desist, villain!"

"Talk tough as much as you want, birdie!"

"All we hear is 'squawk, squawk, squawk!'" the puppet added.

Chompy Mage's staff glowed in a chaotic fusion of green and violet, aimed at the bird-man's head. Just as he swung, a whip of facial hair caught his hand and slapped the rod out of his hand. The villain looked to his surprise assailant. Eon with arms raised with shielding hands, his beard elongated to his knees and curled like a beast bared.

"By my beard, Doom Raider, you shall not sully the ground of Skylander Academy a moment longer! You now face me!"

Eon sped in levitation towards the mage. The old wizard cried out waving his arms while his beard whipped into life did the work of striking his opponent without mercy or opening. Spyro watched the one-sided battle mouth agape rising to his feet, wincing with every solid club of bear hair to the face. Chompy Mage looked like the disturbed codger he'd called him with Eon beating him to greater senselessness.

Eon raised his arms and fired a sparkling blue orb at the mage. Chompy Mage went tumbling away rolling into his Chompies. It was over once Eon broke out his actual magic; the beard was likely for fun.

"Alert Cloudcracker Prison we'll be returning one." Eon raised his hand and an aura of blue appeared around the villain's form. "Ensure the cadets are accounted for."

The Skylanders saluted and headed out. Spyro took the chance to saunter to his mentor, head high.

"Record time for a beat down, Eon," the dragon dusted himself. "Must have softened him up for-"

"What in the name of the Ancients possessed you to behave so recklessly?" The wizard turned to him, a familiar sternness and anger sprawled on his face. "I gave a direct order for the cadets to take shelter! You disobeyed and engaged the enemy placing yourself and your teammates in needless danger!"

Spyro paused, then scoffed. "I wouldn't call a weirdo launching garden gnomes code red."

The wizard glared. "A true Skylander would not underscore any foe; they would assess the risk and act in accordance. Did you consider what might have happened had the Skylanders and I not arrived in time?"

"Someone needed to shove a fireball up the guy's jammies before he wrecked the place," he defended. "Skylanders take down bad guys! That's what I was taught."

Eon sighed with his hands held behind. "What you were taught was to act upon instinct, not impulse… I am very disappointed in you, Spyro."

"Wh-disappointed? But Master Eon-"

"I intend to have a serious discussion with you when I am done."

Spyro shrunk bowing as Master Eon took leave, the word 'disappointment' like a shutdown. The sting of a slap on his head was hint Stealth Elf sand Eruptor were at his sides chastising him with head shakes and 'I-told-you-so' stares. But Spyro only focused on the trailing back of his mentor, and a step into a jog, he pursued. The torturous mix of bruises and fatigue and redundant grief of the other two were nothing if it meant nudging Eon into an offer for a second chance.

Jet-Vac put a dent in that plan, though, marching up just as Spyro caught the wizard's robes. "Master Eon, we have a situation."

Eon turned. "What?"

"Report from Hugo back at the Academy: a handful of students went missing shortly after Chompy Mage first attacked, with no trace of their whereabouts." Jet-Vac pulled out a list. "Based on head count, the missing students include the rest of the Skyball team and… several members of my class."

Eon furrowed his brows. "What have you—"

Eon startled back, interrogation choked in his throat. Chompy Mage rose almost possessed, his wrinkled flesh lost in thick fumes rancid in odor expelled out his robes. The smog rose clouding his form into a silhouette in the Skylanders' sights. A distorted twinkle sickly green in shade flickered in his hands, flashing as a torrent of energy knocking the experienced Skylanders and Eon back. A dome of light formed, the inside obscured by smoke.

"Spyro, Stealth Elf, Eruptor!"

The trapped cadets braced for the worst as fumes decayed into a dull violet. An updraft of smog thick as tar blasted out, the villain's shape barely visible. It hunched, growing plump with limbs flailing, the cackles of villain and puppet merged and distorted as a feral roar blew away the smog. Pools of slobber dripped and smog leaked from mammoth fangs on a rotund body five times its size. His gut rippled with veins, damp with hot breaths from his maw. Meaty, fungus-infested claws flexed as his waving stalk eyes honed in bloodshot on their group. His steps crashed as he walked, forming craters.

"Oh, magma!" Eruptor shouted.

"This is not good!" Elf added. "How'd he get so big? The files never mentioned this!"

"Sorry to make you wait. Clearly I wasn't in the right form for the occasion," the beast hissed in the fused voices of villain and puppet with a ravenous grin. "I'm gussied up and ready to chomp the lot of you!"

"Look who's all bark and no bite now!" Spyro called. "I'm getting all fired up! Let's do this!"

Spyro took off, the force shooting pain through his bones. He bobbed in midair, wings uneven, but levelled before Chompy Mage could take a swipe with his paw. He let loose a stream of fire that the Chompy Mage only flinched at before repelling with a burst from his massive gut.

"Wha—"

"Not too hot, now! You should have run when you had the chance, lit'l dragon!"

"'Spyro the Great' is in over his head, Elfy!"

"What else is new?" Stealth Elf said bending with blades in hand. "Remember our training! Keep your attacks focused and we might get out of this!"

The elven girl swerved with flashes left and right as the monster stomped. With a split-second dodge, she leapt up to his side and carved into his flesh with acrobatic swings of her blade. Eruptor followed suit, his stubs glowed with heat, launching blobs of lava into the side. Chompy Mage roared with pain and aimed for Stealth Elf with another stomp. The two circled around the mutated villain continuing their assault into any opening they could spot.

"Keep going, Eruptor!" Elf cheered. "I think we're making headway!"

"How about 'make way!'" Spyro landed in her path as she made to rush.

"Spyro! What are you doing?"

"I got this!"

Spyro took off again leaving Stealth Elf to take the blow from Chompy Mage's paw. He encircled Chompy Mage and pelted him with a barrage of fireballs, murder on his throat. His last few rounds still made progress by setting fire to his back fur. The beast danced with tremoring steps reaching to snuff out the forest fire.

"It's bad enough you aren't Chompies! Now you're trying to char-broil me!" He screamed. "Now I really, really, really don't like you!"

Spyro looped around and launched a few fireballs lacking in aim and wobbly in path. A lucky couple struck his left eye-stalk, burning the flesh black. Chompy Mage howled and swung back, driving his fangs in the ground raking terrain. The dragon swam for altitude pulling his tail spike in time leaving Eruptor, charging with stubs searing, caught struggling between his first rows of jaws. Spyro reared back with a punch of effort to his chest, another fireball going into Chompy Mage's mouth with the rocks shredded to gravel.

Choking, the villain spat out Eruptor, and Spyro was knocked away with the rock creature's body to the ground. Eruptor leaned up growling. "Will you stop trying to showboat!? Kinda fighting for our lives here!"

Spyro shoved him away. "Cool it, E! This guy's totally on the ropes right now!"

Their argument died with the drop shadow around them, Chompy Mage's body high in the air the source. Spyro wasted no time guessing over his distance gain as he and Eruptor scrambled leaping out of his crash zone. Their balance lost with the fissure formed from his piledrive the cadets slipped, their backs hitting the solid wall of light.

"Little Skylanders think they can relax…" he chortled raising his good eye-stalk. "Think again!"

"Tough talk, nutjob!" Eruptor pointed. "It's still three ta one!"

"You sure about that!? I got some new additions to the family, and they want to say hello!"

Chompy Mage's hill of blossoms cracked and shifted then bloomed, smothering the area in a fog of a spicy stench assaulting their nostrils. Blinking back the tears, the three held back gags watching the buds spit out boulder-like shapes that rolled off the groove of the petals, With typical Chompy fashion they chattered as they uncurled, stomping forward. Their bodies were of every color, an assortment of additions on their bodies from fins to stone and metal spikes.

"Aren't they the lookers?" Chompy Mage kneeled by them, his musky breath driving them back. "I like them, I like them very much right now. They're special, you know."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elf asked. "What are these Chompies? I've never seen their breed, and you see one, you've seen them all!"

"Try checking the yearbook, girlie? Might not recognize 'em, but I say your classmates've never looked better!"

The three gasped.

"Our classmates?" Elf paled asking.

"You turned 'em into Chompies?" Eruptor shouted. "That's gonna be hard to explain ta their folks."

"Caught 'em just as they were escaping. Had some ugly looks on their faces for a bunch of measly cadets running with their tails between their legs." Chompy Mage cackled. "Thought I'd give 'em a friendly makeover with my Chompy Pods!"

"That violates so many laws of Skylands and nature!" Spyro gave a wince saying.

Elf's green skin deepened looking at the now wilted buds. "I thought I recognized those flowers. You stuck them in their and turned them into Chompies to spring them on Eon and the teachers. You knew they wouldn't fight back!"

"Took a little time, but I have to say these ones turned out good!"

"Big deal!" Spyro shot forward bearing his horns against the teammates. "So you tried to pull the whole hostage bit! It's not gonna stop me from serving up Chompy souffle!"

"Tough talk! Let's see if you're still got any guts after they're done with you!" Chompy Mage pointed. "Chompies, charge!"

Without a glance at Elf or Eruptor as they fended off the rushing Chompies, Spyro pushed his wings for another takeoff. He readied for a fireball launch, but a tackle hard to his side knocked the wind and embers out of him. The mutated students gathered as he crashed stepping on his spine, crushing his bones and robbing him of breath. A brown one with rock spines came forward, Terrafin's scowl etched across the creature's face and in its hulking arms. He still hit as hard with that first blow, the dragon feeling a crack in his skull.

"That's right, that's what your puffy chest gets you, little dragon!" Chompy Mage laughed as he spawned bruises from Terrafin's flailing. "Us Chompies don't care for any of you Skylanders treating us bad! They're going to make tasty, tasty, tasty meat out of you and yours!"

"Take your threats… and shove them up your chomp hole…"

"Plucky one," the villain growled. "I think I still won't like you even when I make you a Chompy!"

The group of students kept up their beatings, fists heavy as boulders on the dragon's body while others went to shred and rip out his limbs. His vision growing dim along with that special flame in his gut, grip on the ground growing ever weaker, his mind wandered to his legacy of anger-inducing comments. Skylanders being solo acts, he said at the Skyball game: situations like this made those words ring true.

But his legs rose, even supported by no one, under the weight of the Chompies. His glare with an unyielding light went past the wide frame of Terrafin aimed at Chompy Mage. The dragon bared his teeth in a mile-wide smirk like swords that still pointed at a foe waiting to be cut down to nothing. "I'm… I'm a Skylander!" Spyro grimaced. "I'm not about… to be beaten here!"

"I changed my mind…" Chompy Mage growled. "I don't like you so much, I'm not going to bother making you a Chompy! I'd rather just destroy the lot of you!"

The hair on his back reignited and spread, his obese form consumed in a blaze with ashes rising, yet he did not cry out and even relished it. The monster's smooth flesh jiggled then froze, hardened into obsidian black, glowing cracks forming along the surface. His claws and teeth went bright like candle fire while his eyes lit with the same heated glow. The bonfire on his back rose a mile high into a shell coating him with a sinister blaze. The same heat triggered movement as he roared to the skies again.

"I believe I'm in the right form to heat things up the way you little cadets like!" The villain cackled with glee. "Chompies are gonna eat well tonight! Roast Skylanders!"

The villain jumped with leg strength Spyro didn't know was there. He plunged with a fissure-creating crash letting loose a maelstrom of flame. The three cadets braced for the incinerating wave to hit, shutting their eyes.

But no heat, no pain past the intense light their eyelids blocked. Just a hum and the whoosh of flames triggering sweat. Spyro peeked an eye and gasped.

"Y-You!?"

* * *

Cody was crazy, of that there was no doubt to anyone anymore. He had watched every second of the battle from shadows grasping stone with fingers going numb. He had taken the Portal from his pocket and prepared to turn the other way, closing the pit in his stomach. He wasn't needed, not with so many other heroes to take his place. But when things took a turn for the worse, his feet moved on their own.

Now here he was, with a magical barrier, blocking a storm of fire brought by a monster on a rampage. The burn reached his hands, bites of heat like the touch of searing metal causing his fingers to twitch. Chompy Mage's flames subsided, and breathless, he collapsed. "I can't believe," he gasped, "I just did that…"

"That makes four of us," Stealth Elf responded.

"Look out!"

Chompy Mage and his mindless pack bounced towards him. He raised his barrier quick enough to surround his form. The Chompies thwacked and pounded on the barrier, clanging with thunderous noise. Cody's spine went stiff while his hands clutched his head holding his shield. A flush quick as an icicle to his heart came as he dared to crack his eyes.

Ripples in his barrier might have distorted his sight or maybe it was sweat blurring his vision. But the Chompies's forms warped to human proportions, their claws morphing to fingered hands. His heartbeat doubled in speed with sharp blows of wind like slashes on his face, fragments of words, and gleaming glares. His rapid blinking switched between visions of the shadowy figures and the Chompies drooling over his shield. He couldn't tell which reality was worse.

The brown Chompy raised a paw to hammer away the barrier, but a footprint on his face stopped him. Stealth Elf pressed on his face and flipped away, slashing and bouncing off the others in successive suit. The elven girl landed and grabbed him, vanishing in a puff. The Chompies growled at what was left behind: a straw-filled dummy in her likeness.

They appeared feet away while the Chompies mauled the scarecrow Elf. "You doing okay? That was a crazy move."

Cody nodded.

A burning slosh came from behind. Eruptor was spewing lava in layers and waving. "Hurry it up! They're gonna want something new to chew in a couple of seconds!"

Stealth Elf dragged Cody stumbling behind the makeshift wall. He sunk to his knees rubbing his sleeves as if to tear off the skin underneath. He was sure: he'd gone past insane some time ago.

Spyro leapt to the wall as soon as it reached over their heads. In defense of their makeshift fortress, he launched fireballs at the Chompies and their ringleader. It scored a knockdown from a few of them but they rose again hopping mad. The dragon returned fire still, keeping them down and in a lucky case, set a couple on fire.

Eruptor grabbed him by the tail glaring. "The heck are you doin? Those are our classmates you're shooting!"

"Yeah, well, something tells me they're not in the mood for after school clubs!"

"You shooting fireballs at them ain't gonna help us either! We got to figure something else out!"

"Right, and while you do that, they're coming over with their new homework assignment: tearing us to shreds!"

"Your party tricks won't be able to keep you out of my Chompies' bellies for long, Skylanders!" Chompy Mage roared. "Look hard what they do to your dummy, because you dummies will be next!"

Cody gulped grabbing every fold of cloth on him, his head scrambling. Chompy Mage's threat lingered with the heat of his form and the still warm rock his back pressed upon. He needed reminding he wasn't prepared even for the standard variety of emergencies, much less monster attacks, when he'd locked himself in his room for years. Scrambling in his head for ideas as the Chompies roared in unison, nothing came to Cody's mind as thoughts faded lost in static. Nothing left but to wait for death by devouring.

But in shrinking back from the arguing cadets something caught his eye. Past the smog clouds remaining at the barrier's edge was a ball, dented from use. It rolled with the tremors of the Chompy army drawing close.

His gaze lingered as Spyro's voice spiked into notice. "They're too dumb to tell the difference!"

"W-Wait!" He stuttered. "That's it!"

The three cadets turned to Cody, his voice faltering at their attention. "T-Those monsters aren't too smart, right? Maybe we can play on that," he pointed to the ball in the corner. "With that. We can turn them against Chompy Mage. He wouldn't attack other Chompies, would he?"

"You seriously think that'll work?" The dragon asked him.

"It's worth a try… maybe?" He blinked shuffling. The cadets held silence mulling it over, gritting their teeth as the Chompies pounded cracks through the wall. Cody turned away expectant. His plan was more of words out of a moving mouth, an unnecessary risk for anyone. "N-No. Never mind. Forget I said—"

"I think it's got a shot," Eruptor said grinning. "Ticking folks off is what Spyro here does best."

"I'll take that as a compliment, E," the dragon smirked. "Since you used the word 'best.'"

Cody blinked again.

"Whatever. I say let's go for it," Elf chuckled, turning to Cody. "This is coming from our new Portal Master. I don't think it's any worse than what we've been doing so far."

Chompy Mage stomped towards them, his steps bringing the rest of the wall crumbling. "Why keep this up any more? Let me make you Chompies and I won't have to bully you anymore! Otherwise, I'll just have to crush you into teeny-tiny splotches!"

The burning behemoth's foot hovered over, but a blur whizzed past sending him toppling. Spyro had snagged the ball and rebounded on the dome for style. Winding up his claw he smacked it on the head of the brown Chompy who turned to face an empty spot. Cody gulped breathing twice as fast and summoned his barrier flickering into full size. The boy's heels dug into the dirt, scuffling across gravel to regain traction against the oblivious rush of brute force. His grip slipped in a moment's notice and he slammed into the wall, the musk of their breaths inches from him.

Chompy Mage grinned struggling to rise. "Ooh, little kid wants to be a hero? You're gonna be—" He paused. "Wait, where are those other ones?"

Spyro was behind their numbers playing as a real athlete spinning the ball on his tail. He head-butted it on the Chompy with fins then tail-slapped it towards the steel-spiked one. Cody gained breathing room with the lapse in strength, watching Spyro fly with grace.

The dragon fixed on the ball bouncing it on his head. "Who's got game? Spyro got game!"

Elf popped overhead and knocked him off balance. "Cut the one-dragon show and stick to the plan!" She bounced it on his head before popping away.

"Don't be a hater!"

Stealth Elf reappeared on ground level, flipping and cartwheeling with the ball alternated between hands and feet. She slammed it on the steel-spike Chompy once again square on the back of its head. She flashed to the other side and struck a violet one right in its rear. Her target ranted off at the others hopping in place. "Eruptor, your turn!"

She swung the ball behind for the rock creature to catch in his stubs. "Coming in hot!"

Eruptor slammed the ball on an orange one, landing a double strike on its eye. Catching it quick given his slower speed, he leapt. His shot ricocheted between the faces of the blue finned one and another orange one with blue spots. The Chompies turned on each other forgetting Cody, punching and gnawing on each other's hides. The boy lowered his barrier with iron weight on his hunkered limbs, his knees sagging. On the ground, his gaze wandered to Spyro and the others, radiant with the sun at their bruised backs, pushing their bodies to their limits. He blinked back his own fatigue.

Chompy Mage stomped to Eruptor as he passed. "Found one of you! What are you up to!?"

"Hey, Chompies!" Spyro called. "Heads up!"

The villain turned to Spyro who threw the ball like a cannon shot. Chompy Mage caught it in between his claws. "What's this, then? You want to play catch? Save that for when you're—"

A discord of growls laced with anger stopped him mid-taunt. Every mile of his green flesh paled seeing the group of Chompies with bruises littering their bodies from the ball glaring at him. The chill crept up Cody's spine hearing them, wild animals aimed to rend prey to pieces, even though it was as he planned. He turned away as the growls became full on roars, and a scream of anguish came quickly after.

"No! No, no, no! Chompy, chompy, chompy!"

There was a twinge of pity, and familiarity, in Cody seeing the monstrous Chompy Mage torn apart by his own slaves. None of them looked as he writhed in agony, braced as smoke burst from his form, the explosion sending a shudder throughout the barrier. The group turned back seeing the mutated Chompies bouncing and stomping around the reverted Chompy Mage, the disturbed hermit he was at the beginning. His robes were in tatters and he was face flat on the dirt, groans muffled. His dome melted away for pure air and realization to fill their forms.

"Whoo-hoo!" Spyro flew in circles.

Stealth Elf and Eruptor joined in the cheers. Cody was only panting hard bracing his knees, exhaustion still there. Falling to his back he followed Spyro circle overhead.

"Not… yet…" The group stopped tense seeing Chompy Mage rising on his staff. His teeth had gone jagged and wrinkles on his face tripled as he went completely feral. He lunged at them in an arc of gas from overhead.

"Your time has come, villain!" A glow appeared from behind. "Away with you!"

A sudden blast of light from a star expanded into a transfixing vortex of green from Eon's hands. Wind stirred around them as it floated to the center of the sky, absorbing stray stones into an abyss to infinity. A pulse and fade of consciousness in Cody staring mouth ajar while his clothes and hair only stirred with a small breeze. He felt no movement yet it was as though his spirit was being yanked out of him.

Chompy Mage gripped the ground resisting the pull of energy. "No! I ain't going back, you hear me! This is cruelty to Chompies!"

The force from Eon's magic sliced away his safe ground. Chompy Mage was swung spiraling over their heads into the vortex vanishing in the light. With one final flash and powerful hum, the cadets saw nothing, no trace of the villain.

"What… just happened?" Cody asked shuffling towards Eon.

Spyro and the other cadets joined. "That was some magic trick. Gotta remember that for my birthday, Eon!" Still in midair, the dragon landed. "Seriously, though. Where's Chompy Mage?"

"He is here."

Master Eon raised the small piece in his hands. It was a crystal, its face as dull as stone but still holding a shine, radiating with green light. It levitated in the old sage's hand, still as a rock. Coldness washed over Cody staring at the gemstone, with the sense of a presence, no doubt Chompy Mage's.

"It is a Traptanium Crystal, the same stone that had imprisoned the Doom Raiders for ages." Eon held out the stone. "Now he is imprisoned once again in its hold, unable to bring harm to anyone."

Growls came from the remaining Chompies clutching their heads growling. Smoke fumes with sparkles poured from their bodies which glowing beneath. In a burst, they reverted to their original forms, the other cadets, blinking in confusion. Cody held his heart sighing in relief with no third round on the horizon, no fight for it left in him. The Skylander teachers surrounded them with pats on the back and hands guiding them away.

"For real," Terrafin muttered rubbing his head. "I haven't gotten a head rush this bad since our last pop quiz. I can't remember—"

Spyro flapped over to the shark. "Hey there, T-Man. You feel like your old grouchy self again?"

Terrafin glowered for a moment, then startled. "Oh, yeah. That freak in the green snagged us. Turned us into his green goons… guess I should thank you for changing us back to normal."

"You want to? I'm thinking you were better-looking as a Chompy."

The shark glared. "That right!? Fine! I'm not sayin' nothing, fool!"

Master Eon stepped forward clearing his throat. "All that aside, I am very proud. You performed admirably given the circumstances."

Stealth Elf appeared by Cody's side snaking an arm around him. She had a bright smile on her face, despite how she had struck the boy as a serious fighter. "Cody and Spyro deserve most of the credit. They showed real guts out there, and that plan of Cody's was what really got us the win."

"I must agree, Stealth Elf," Eon smiled as he did when they'd spoken, and Cody had to turn away. "Young Cody, your bravery and ingenuity on the field of battle was admirable. I will ask again, would you consider joining our Skylander Academy as a Portal Master-in-training? The Skylands will doubtless be safer with someone of your spirit to protect them."

"No. I-I already said. I can't be—"

"Come on, dude. What's holding you back?" He winced with a playful punch from Eruptor speaking. "You showed you got the chops, and you got a bunch of new buddies to get you through it!"

Stealth Elf turned to him next. "It'll be some new territory for everyone involved, and yeah, it'll be tough. But like Eruptor says, a few helping hands only works for you." She knelt, holding his chin up to her. "What you need to do is keep your head up and see there's a lot of those helping hands. We'll get you to hero status, one step at a time."

She wouldn't make that offer if she knew. None of them would offer hands in kindness if they knew the truth. This snowball of events and expectations began by opening his door, something he regretted more with every moment the downcast silence grew. Chompy Mage's prison in Eon's hand wasn't so different from his own in that room at home. It was quiet, nothing exciting happened, and it was lonely, but he was at peace there. His hands clenched at his torso in near begging, knots tangled in his stomach and throat trying to form the gentlest words to leave him be.

But as he croaked a breath, he locked eyes with Spyro behind the crowd. He made light of the moment shrugging and speaking. "Hey, whatever you want to do."

Cody stood wobbling on his feet, treading with eyes on every stray pebble towards the old sage. There was tension coming from everyone, strangely. He took a shaky breath and pulled the Portal from his pocket.

"I'll stay."

The Skylanders cheered raising arms and dancing in celebration. Eon himself had the widest smile on his face and even Spyro chuckled. Cody stuttered. "B-But… for a little while," he rushed his speech. "I mean, a trial run? I can stop and leave at any time, if I don't think it's working."

There was a pause with mutters, but ones of approval. Eon held his smile well in understanding. "Fair enough. We are on the verge of changing times, and so must learn to adapt to new circumstances. Though now that you will be joining us, I would like to offer you a proposal. As a Portal Master you will join with a Skylander cadet as your partner. You will support one another, in battle and in life, and become stronger together."

"Okay." Cody gulped.

"I have selected a candidate, one I believe will be beneficial to you. From this day forth your partner shall be… Cadet Spyro!"

"What? Hold on, what I meant was," Spyro shook his head. "WHAT!?"

"Is there a problem?"

Spyro flew up, looking between his headmaster and Cody, shrinking back. "There's, uh, there's not really a problem per se. The thing is, I don't know if you really want to saddle us together."

"Yeah, Master Eon. In case you didn't notice back in that mess, Spyro's not exactly a team player." Eruptor pointed.

"Is that so? I believe it works out splendid," Eon stroked his beard. "Your born heroism and unyielding courage coupled with Cody's caring nature and creative instinct. You make for an excellent team, or do you not believe so, Spyro?"

"No, I mean, teamwork makes the dream work. But that's for other Skylanders. Me, I'm more of a solo act and everything- lone wolf, party of one, all that. So best you try and find someone else to—"

Terrafin crossed his arms steeping up. "Heh, figures Hotshot over here can't handle sharing the spotlight. I thought you could handle anything."

"Spyro," Eon spoke, "I believe it will be the best for you both."

Spyro surrendered landing with a groan rumbling in his snout. He didn't turn to Cody, but the boy could see every facet of disappointment on his face while his wings folded and head sunken. Cody had no words to give. Though next to him, shoved in his direction, no one could see they were worlds apart.

The Skylanders joined them while Eon exhaled. "It looks as though we are in for interesting times…"

In the old sage's hand, the Traptanium Crystal glowed once again. A trail of green smog flowed seeping through the cracks in the stone. Beyond the walls and notice of every Skylander and Portal Master it breezed away into the horizon. It flowed around the underbelly of a cloud, lost in the deepening shadow as it turned grey. The tides were shifting, in what way was anyone's guess.

* * *

 **And so we have come to the end of the First Act. Events have been set in motion, Cody has become a student at Skylander Academy, Spyro has been made his partner, and these two have no idea what is coming. But both should know that there is no turning back.**

 **Thanks to everyone for their patience in the coming of this chapter. It turned out much longer than I expected it to be due to really pushing out the fight scene. That is something I will need to watch in the future. I think I need to put a cap on all my chapters in terms of word count, especially so I can advance the plot and put chapters out there faster. Of course, this chapter in its rough draft was around 8,500 words so I'm amazed I managed to trim it down by a thousand. Hooray for super editing power.**

 **Anyway, as I promised we are now at chapter 10, so it is time for my big announcement. Drum roll!**

…

 **This story… will be expanded into a trilogy!**

 **At least I have considered it strongly, but now I think I might go ahead and do that. The way I was thinking when I was first setting up for this story, it seemed like it was best told as a series with a dramatic overarching plotline. The comments really gave me the confidence to go ahead with this, so thank you.**

 **So, addressing desmond bot who commented a few chapters back in regard to Cynder. She will be in the overall story, not in this one, but likely in the next one. As for anything else, I cannot say for certain yet since I am focused on this story and haven't done anything with the other two yet. And for the guest who commented on chapter 9, it wasn't down bringing. And Eruptor and Stealth Elf aren't really trying to force Cody into anything, it's more of a 'you can do it, and we're here to help' kind of thing. It's good that you have sympathy for Cody, though – it means I've done the job of creating a character right!**

 **Of course, there is also the bad news. I also said that upon reaching chapter 10 I would put this story on hold for a bit while I added to my other stories. Give those a read if you haven't, even though they are weaker works. Actually, though, I might take a break from writing in general for a bit. I need to take care of school and an alternate project for now, something I want to get done before summer starts. I'll update my profile page with the statuses on stories.**

 **Another big thanks to everyone who has read thus far. As always, review, favorite, follow! I will return, so stick around and see how the adventure plays out. Until we meet again!**


	11. Adjustments

Kaos's tower was screaming out by the second with the shatters of objects. If his mother's castle could cringe it would as holes broke through the stone letting out the stench of its former outhouse status. Though compared to the inside, that was an understatement.

Kaos's malicious idols under one roof was a nightmare come true, in every sense of the phrase. Though he moved through a gala of evil celebrities, his collectibles flew from the shelf to Gulper's belly and belched out with coatings of slime. Wolfgang's bone harp smacking them into walls and columns and Krankcase's tinkering with his goo-powered machines doubled the quota of damaged and slimed décor. Pepper Jack cleared out the rest of the space for a cauldron for cooking, a hot glow from the pot. It was a mild improvement if it only mixed the sewer smell with a burning stench of a post explosive and cleared out the spiders and cobwebs.

Kaos huddled up to the Golden Queen reclining in his throne, the one spot that remained pristine and pampered. He had an assortment of cakes and treats on a silver tray he offered with a huddled head. She turned the tray and its contents to gold before shooing him away without a glance.

"The treats looked delicious sir. Though not as delicious as the irony." Glumshanks spoke from the corner.

"Oy, servant boy!" Wolfgang's voice shrieked. "I need a new target! Bring that oversized skull of yours over here!"

"An' while you're at it, bring me some more cayenne and onions, or I'll make you cry," came Pepper Jack.

"Dear precocious boy, do attempt to be useful and bring me another barrel of goo for my work. Do not dawdle." Krankcase's demand didn't sound the part, but there was the condescending tone.

"Coming! Coming, everyone!"

The evil Portal Master moved through the door with magic-enhanced speed. He lugged the wagon with their requested items by the teeth like a pack mule at the crack of a whip. But true to form for Kaos, everything ended in some varied kind of disaster.

Pepper Jack's spices were added to Krankcase's machine, overheating the mechanism and causing it to explode. A glass ball for Wolfgang was the new ingredient for Pepper Jack's chili only to crack a hole in the cauldron leaking the food out. Krankcase's gears found a new place embedded in the columns, launched hard enough by Wolfgang to break one into rubble. The common thread was that each attempt earned him a glare and a lump from an angry Doom Raider.

Kaos backed from the closing group. "Eh, right. Anyway, on to the general business of neer-do-welling."

"What you going on 'bout, boy?"

The Dark Portal Master raced to the steps just before the Golden Queen, his arms wide. He grinned at her form for the longest time before turning to all the others. "As you know, my releasing you from Cloudcracker Prison was not merely an act of generosity. You are among the Skylands' most dangerous villains, the most underhanded, right down to the most hideous! Combine your powers with me so we may spread glorious catastrophe and bring the Skylands to its knees! We will be unstoppable!"

Wolfgang scoffed. "Though peewee here was strikin' too high and mighty a tone. He just wants a chance to jam with the real rock stars!"

"Gulper think that funny! Dumb but funny!"

Things were taking a negative turn again, Kaos thought glancing toward the blob. "I'd like to detail a few plans I devised that take into account your individual skills, weaknesses in the Skylanders' defenses, and basically whatever leads to a hazardous explosion."

"Kaos devising strategy…" Glumshanks muttered. "What kind of alternate world have I entered?"

"We start with the overtaking the Academy. From there, we return to Cloudcracker and release the inmates, building an army of immeasurable evil. With our forces, we can take control of the Skylands, and plunge them into total and utter and complete darkness!" The evil child cackled.

Yet his cackling was cut off by a chorus of more coming from the group of villains now surrounding him. His face flushed as their laughter went into scoffs as though even the air they breathed was too good for his lungs. Wolfgang marched up and grabbed him by his robe's scruff, the rows of jaws in his snarl reflecting his sorry state.

"Listen here, meat. You busted us out of the kennel, but we already told you that doesn't mean you get to start barking orders!"

"B-b-but-"

"I'm afraid my compatriot here has a point," came the spider-legged doctor with an old-fashioned calculator in hand with a large crank. "Your success in releasing us from Cloudcracker could be attributed best to mere luck, by my calculations. There was a 99.9999% chance you would have ended up imprisoned with us. In fact, my investigation shows that you did, in fact."

"In the first five seconds!" Wolfgang added.

"And that is a considerable improvement compared to your repeated assaults on Skylander Academy. Taking into account news reports and word of mouth, I'd estimate your current record at approximately 538. Give or take an extra 20."

"Oh-wee! That stinks more than my gorgonzola and rhubarb curry!"

"Book! Book!" Gulper cried.

"Ah, yes." Krankcase adjusted his goggles. "There was also the matter of that spell book in your possession. Quite assuredly the main factor in your .0001 chance of success."

It wasn't as though their odds of escaping on their own weren't just as dismal. Kaos's head sank into the shadows of his robe. He pushed back out grasping for their good graces once more. "Okay, I required some slight assistance from my mother's spell book. That doesn't change the fact that you'd still be collecting dust in that cage if it weren't for my efforts!"

"What was that?" Wolfgang snarled. "Maybe you'd like to collect some bruises!"

"Enough!"

The clank of the Golden Queen's staff chimed in the atmosphere, hushing their voices. Its tip washed away the stone with a wave of glimmering gold. She marched downward with feet gliding over the surface, not even deigning to touch the earth she graced. Her ruby eyes glared at her cohorts silencing them like mongrels.

"You anger your queen with this display," she scolded. "Perhaps life as my statues will curb those forked tongues of yours."

"But queenie-" Wolfgang started.

She pointed her staff at his fur. "Especially yours, Wolfgang. Save those spiteful words for your song lyrics."

She paced around the room, passing each of the Doom Raiders. Her staff brushed upon each of their heads with the gentle threat of gold. "This is no way to treat a valuable asset in our never-ending quest to bring a golden era of mayhem to the Skylands. The spell book was a necessary tool for Kaos to release us from our prison. To deny such incredible power is to deny the true treasure it… he is."

"Oh, your Golden-ness, do you mean that?" Kaos trailed her as she walked.

The evil child was now at the end of her staff himself. "That being said, I must caution you Kaos. We are by no means ungrateful for your assistance, but a queen such as myself bows to no one. You will share with us the secrets of your book and we will have free reign of your lair – those are the terms of the Doom Raiders. Understood?"

"Of course, my Queen. As you wish, my Queen. Whatever pleases you, your Golden Gildedness."

The gleam of the Queen's ruby eyes swirled on him, or at least as far as Kaos could tell. He had already elevated himself enough in a crackling display of dark magic to meet her standards as she tamed the roars of the other Raiders and kept her minions in line. This grand alliance of villains and merging of ambitions could still work, though he shouldn't have had to jump through so many hurdles. Wolfgang and the others still eyed him as a piece of refuse after having acted as a jester in a court of royals. As his form melted into the shade, his skin went a shade of puce with his fists clenched.

Glumshanks kept his thoughts to himself, as punishments taught him to do. He was at his stool writing with a quill in hand. "And thus came the sunset of Kaos's discontent. The troll in the corner could only gaze on with concern, and the slightest tinge of amusement."

He swat the book from Glumshanks' arm. "Enough of your stupid memoirs. Focus on my problems."

"I do whether or not I have a choice, sir."

"First that decrepit lunatic with the puppet, now this! The other Doom Raiders not only fail to acknowledge me as a threat, they have the nerve to make me look bad in front of the Golden Queen and make some evil clubhouse out of my lair!"

"The audacity of it all, stealing your evil clubhouse…" Glumshanks looked to the Doom Raiders continuing their mischief. "Although to be fair the place does look somewhat better and we don't have to pay rent to your mother."

"Forget the rent!" Kaos smacked him behind the head. "Look at them, Glummy, swimming in evil success and bragging over it, all because they have criminal records and reputations and powers. They clearly don't see that I'm just as evil and threatening as the rest of them, especially the blob! I mean, I can at least together sentence a string!"

"Ah… no. Too easy."

 _Oooohhhh…._

Kaos startled. The wind had shifted, and a chill filled the room. The candles on each of the column wavered, sending the rotunda flickering in darkness. But what got the evil child wary was the tinge of a growl carried in the breeze. He didn't leave the door open when he brought the Doom Raiders trailing their grime in. Right?

 _Kaaaoooosss…_

"Glummy, did you say something? Tell me you're not stealing my long name drawling thing, or else I'll electrocute your vocal cords!"

"Normally you don't make much sense, sir. You're truly outdoing yourself today."

"I mean it!" He grabbed the troll by the ears. "Someone called my name in an ominous tone of voice, and not the enjoyable kind."

"They say hearing voices is the first symptom of dementia. From personal experience, I'll say it's not that bad."

A green dot emerged with a glow from the stone. The two heard the hiss of breath as a ghostly green wisp float out, expelling fumes as it hovered in midair. Kaos watched mesmerized as it stayed in place, almost possessed, then drifted into the shadows. Both Dark Portal Master and troll followed its pull towards the stool where his mother's spell book lay. It burned into nothingness as it melded into the book with its remnants swirling around the cover.

They creeped at a near standstill pace, watching for any sudden change as though the tome gained its own will. It slammed open in assertion. The pages skimmed guided by an unseen force, passing through near the entire text. It stopped on a page devoid of anything but stains on the parchment.

Kaos moved closer, his gaze boring deep into the fibers. His fingers trembling, he saw nothing as he came a step away. He froze with a powerful image drilling into his mind.

Angry, blood-red eyes amidst total black.

 _Kaaaoooossss…._

The Dark Portal Master jumped away landing on his rear and scrambled to the nearest column, scraping the floor. "Alright, Dumb Raiders! If this is your idea of a prank, I am not amused! Seriously! Or wait… you're not behind this, are you Glumshanks? Your potential future of an endless fall off the island depends on your answer!"

"Believe it or not, sir, I think you've been humiliated enough for one day." Glumshanks wore a look of fear on his face and his voice trembled.

A small succession of pages turned to a new spot. Lines appeared at the corners of the page, drawing symbols and pictures in the bound parchment. Kaos recognized them as any resident of the Skylands should: a flame, a swirl, a drop, a leaf, and more: the symbols of the elements that comprised everything in their aerial world.

The page turned again, another drawing taking place of a mechanized fountain spurting showers of stardust that shot up to the heavens. Small guardian statues sprayed water towards its body as mist like morning dew sparkled on the paper. It was a perfect fusion of nature and technology, mystique and order, moving along the page in a never-ending function of protection. The Core of Light.

"Okay, is there any point to this silly picture show?" Kaos hauled himself to look at the page.

The page flipped again, once more drawing the symbol of the leaf. It flashed with light to draw attention.

"Huh," huffed Glumshanks. "If memory serves, that's the symbol of the Life Element, one of the ten Elements of the Skylands. Chompy Mage was associated with the Life Element, possibly due to his apparent multiple personality disorder."

A light bulb in Kaos's head went off. "That's it, Glummy! I have the perfect plan to prove myself to the Doom Raiders! It will require a few sacrifices, but one never reaches their destination counting the bugs on the road."

He slammed the book and carried it off towards the doors in the crook of his arm, careful to avoid the Doom Raiders' watch. Glumshank followed him with much less enthusiasm. "If I may, sir. I don't believe your mother will be pleased with whatever you plan to do with her book."

"What mother doesn't know won't hurt her, my dear troll." Kaos sauntered out the double doors, just peeking his head back to glare at his servant. "Although it might hurt you."

* * *

Cody's feet shuffled along the cobblestone path to the Academy's gate, dragging himself as fast as he could. He rubbed his face trying to drag the months' worth of fatigue out of his features. These 'Skylanders' had more energy than they knew what to do with, even for creatures of their standard.

The last few hours at campus plaza were the scene of the craziest party he had ever been a part of, though there was little competition in that regard. Cody was at the front table making the most of the night watching his lap. Music thumped and shook the ground, jiggling the spilled buffet of cake and tomatoes everywhere. Colored lights and confetti stung his eyes and added to the feeling of nausea. At random points throughout he'd jump at explosions that sent cadets flying mid-dance battle, flying like firecrackers at every random moment and slamming onto their table.

It was a fun kind of mayhem, the kind you'd watch from a distance. The only ones who could say that were the stars themselves, as far from the level of excitement in the others as possible.

Spyro, his new partner in heroism, had been keeping silent since they were put in their seats of honor by Master Eon. There was a canyon gorge of distance between them, the other a speck in the distance. The boy would steal an odd glance though the dragon wouldn't return it, only tap his claws looking as bored as imaginable. Still, he couldn't hold back the fidget when he felt an eye on him. Was Spyro looking?

As the party went on, Cody could only wonder if things would work as Eon said.

What was he thinking? A hero's life wasn't for him. This was only going to be for a very short while.

Cody winced with the waft of the cool breeze and rays of morning hitting the roofs of the school. That party had taken more time than he thought. He reached for the stone in his pocket and concentrated when.

"Wait!"

It was Hugo, Eon's Mabu assistant. Cody balked with the wagon full of books he pulled behind. He panted hard fixing his glasses as Cody stared.

"You almost forgot a few things. Here's the lists for your assigned classes, the syllabuses, the guidebook, a list of contacts in case of emergency a map of both the campus and town, and all the required textbooks. Oh, and your first homework assignments." Hugo tossed book after book and paper after paper at the boy. Cody was quickly failing to keep balance with the tower of supplies now in his hands.

"Um… thanks?"

"Now any further items or supplies you need can be purchased at the Student Store. You'll have access to them by showing them your student ID."

"There's… more?" Cody looked past the wobbling stack of books at the Mabu.

"Best to take this time to study and work through your first assignments. Master Eon says classes will be postponed for a week after Chompy Mage's attack on the Academy. Let's hope a good grade is your follow-up to beating him."

Hugo ran off before Cody could give another half-hearted thanks. Though his attention was still set on the stack of school supplies he was quickly running out of strength to lift. It became more unsteady as he reached for the Portal in his pocket again. Gravity had just about won when he snatched out and warped in a flash.

* * *

Just as Cody's settings shifted, the struggle was over. The stack of books fell, and he fell with them. The topmost book found a spot on his head while the carpet was lost under the avalanche of text.

Wait, carpet?

He lifted the book from his sight. Instead of stone and grass, there was the plain carpet floor. Instead of the regal castle towers that made up the school for mystical heroes, there was a wood desk and window.

Earth, his planet. His house. His room. He was back, as though he had never left.

He blinked away any doubt or signs of illusion after his breathing had finally calmed. There was that sweet silence so familiar to him, and his eyes adjusted to the dark with the windows still shut. From the white walls to the smoothed bed and photos along the shelves. He moved to his door, his hand trembling as he reached for the knob, but pulled it open.

The boy went to his bed and settled his heart. This was really home.

His feet pulled him downstairs to the kitchen, where the first rays of dawn came through the blinds. The bird he found was fast asleep, a full stomach had helped to calm its nerves as its food bowl was half finished. Cody figured the same and moved to the pantry to find a bowl and a box of cereal. He noted the lack of obstacles for his foot or the sound of glass rotating on tile for a second before stopping. He turned to the kitchen floor, noting its unusual cleanliness.

No beer bottles, or puddles of beer to mop. Ms. Phillips mentioned his father would be working late. Once again, he might not have come home at all.

Cody tended to the bird with new bandages, fingers drifting so as not to wake the sleeping thing. After refilling its bowls, he left it to sleep in peace. He stared down at the living room as he moved back up the stairs, the wood railing under his hand just as smooth as the house was empty. The bumps of the walls, the small creak of the step near the top. Everything truly was the same as before, as always.

He returned to his bed and half-laid on the edge, hands balling in his lap.

Was it all a dream? The Skylanders, the Skylands themselves? Portals, the Academy, Kaos? That magic of his?

His breath hitched as he looked to the floor seeing the pile of books untouched. That mess was enough to tell it was real, but the headache from the party and the lingering fatigue from the battle with Chompy Mage added to the fact. He reached into his pocket again, and his fingers touched pulsing stone. There, buried in worn cloth, was the greatest proof.

It wasn't a dream, no matter how he wished it was.

Cody turned to fully lay and clutched his pillow, eyes lidded to let sleep overtake him. "Why couldn't it just be a dream? What am I going to do about all this?"

"Well, you could start with a proper tour." A familiar, cocky voice sounded out. "I don't want to look like a tourist here."

Cody's eyes snapped open and his body followed suit to the owner. Red eyes wandered around his room and settled on him. Fanged lips curved into a smile with a twinkle in his teeth. He certainly couldn't be dreaming now.

Right before him, by the door, in his room… was Spyro.

* * *

 **I'M BAAAACK!**

 **And just in time too, a couple of weeks after the premiere of Skylanders Academy's third season. A great watch – I recommend it to anyone who still hasn't seen it.**

 **Thanks to everyone for your patience, and for the continued views of this story. I'm glad to see we're starting to get a steady stream of readers. Currently we're over 8,000 views and we're just getting started.**

 **You'll all be happy to know that the updates will come frequently – that's right, you heard me. This story will continue receiving new chapters to the point of its completion. I want to keep the motivation strong and the train rolling. I've seen what happens when stories are left alone for too long.**

 **Now to the reviews. I think you generous commentators have been patient enough:**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: Wow, I did make you wait a while. Sorry about that, but I hope you stayed like Cody did. And friendship is in the future for these two. As for Cody's father, you will meet him soon enough. In fact, he'll probably be making his appearance in the next chapter or two. It'll help you get some more insight into Cody, too.**

 **Bookwriter94** **: Good to see you are up to speed. This will be a typical three act story, as is the case in story structure. The first act is all about setting up the normal world, introducing characters and conflict, etc. As for the number of chapters, I had 40 as a rough idea in my head. It goes a little slow, so I'll have to look into that for future works.**

 **All relationships take time to build, but these two will discover something very special in one another. Friendship is the theme of this story, after all.**

 **Snake screamer** **: Interesting indeed. When the time comes.**

 **Hextor** **: Thanks for the kind words!**

 **ZooFan** **: Thanks and I look forward to writing these two as best pals too. Stories about best friends are some of my favorites.**

 **Challishanlon99** **: Don't worry, the last chapter was just the end of the beginning… of the beginning. There is plenty more story to tell.**

 **Iron maker2** **: Thanks! And I enjoyed season 3 too. Can't wait for season 4 (Yes, I am pretty sure there is going to be one)**

 **Gregorian12** **: I saw some of the shots of the Great War at the start and saw Kaossandra with the aforementioned Skylanders. As for the barrack situation, Cody can switch between worlds with the Portal of Power. He doesn't have to stay at the Academy. Though he might be made to stick around for a while since he is a student now.**

 **I love how everyone is looking forward to the eventual bonding of my two leads. I dream of that moment myself.**

 **Also, just something I wanted to check with you guys on. It seems there is a section for the Skylanders Academy cartoon alone on FanFiction now. What do you all think? Should I keep my story in the general Skylanders category or move it to the Skylanders Academy section. Let me know.**

 **And as always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	12. Different But the Same

_Things seemed like they always did after that first time, but soon, there we were again in another world. Just the two of us, alone._

 _It was moments like that we didn't think much of at first, other than freak accidents. Now I think we took those moments for granted._

 _._

Cody rubbed his eyes until his eyelids went raw. The scram in his throat was restrained to a peep – that was an experience best only lived once. But no matter how many times he rechecked his own senses, there was no doubt.

Spyro was there, in his room. In the full scale.

The dragon was up on his wings, eyes wide and letting out a long breath. He darted around to every corner like a fly taking in the moist sights with a thirst for something new. "Whoooaaaa… so this is where fleshy humans like yourself call home sweet home. A little on the plain side, but-"

He gasped and looked to his phone and the lamp at the bedside. "What is this magnificent little gem?" His claws' tips tapped the side button and screen and the phone sprung to life. The dragon blinked before beaming. "Ha! This is totally awesome! Look at all these little symbols! Is this thing magic or something!?" He pulled the string on the lamp and watched as it flicked between on and off. "And you got an instant light thingy too!? Light, dark, light, dark!"

"Uh…"

"This already trumps anything over at the Academy and-!" He gasped. "What. Is. That!?"

Cody followed as he gaped at a black box atop a small shelf. The device was coated in a thick layer of dust that triggered a sneeze from both. "That's my Gamebox. It's a game console… I haven't really played it…"

"Wait, wait, wait… what's a game console?"

"Well, it's…"

"Wait, wait, wait, don't tell me!" Spyro leaned in close. His claws gripped Cody by the shoulders, the tips digging in. "You play games on it, right? Like, this is something you could potentially waste hours upon hours on for sheer entertainment!? This place rocks!... You got anything about a cool, handsome, loveable, though not as much as me, dragon that goes on adventures, gets a girlfriend, and saves the world?"

Cody was pale with how close the dragon was, but shook his head and backed away. "Wait a minute… how did you even get here?"

Spyro flew to his backside and latched onto his shoulders again. "Well, that's the cool part. Right before you did your fancy little trick, I grabbed onto your back like this. It was right at the last second so you didn't notice. Who's got the sweet ninja skills now, Stealth Elf?"

Cody whimpered. "But… shouldn't you-"

"Anyway, now that I'm here, count on this dragon to make himself nice and cozy, because I am never going back!" The dragon was swirling in midair again. "What else do you got around here?"

He swooped to the closet door, ringing alarm bells in Cody's head. Just as Spyro pulled the door open, Cody's hand caught the handle and slammed it shut again. He spoke without turning. "T-There's nothing in there."

"Judging by that totally inconspicuous response, I'd say there's something."

"That's not… you-you still can't go in there…"

Spyro grabbed the free space on the handle. "One thing you should know about me, Code. Not listening to other people is kind of my thing. So without further ado…"

The dragon yanked the door open flinging Cody to the ground. He was up on his feet and cringing as Spyro ran through the contents like a dog on a pile of treats. All feeling in his limbs left with cold blood when Spyro came out with piles of papers, old and limping from his grip. The dragon was biting his lip snickering when he held it out showing drawn flowers, ranging in quality.

"Flowers?" Spyro couldn't hold back the chuckle after speaking. "Kinda girly, don't you think?"

Those old scraps – he never wanted to see them again. Cody grabbed the drawings and threw them back through the door, slamming it with a loud crash. A wave of cold rushed through his body, breathing hard as he stared at the handle. Spyro's wings had stopped flapping, he heard in between pants. The dragon had settled on his bed looking aside.

"Right… this isn't weird or anything."

"Sorry…" Cody said regaining control. "So, since you're here, should we… study?"

"Uh, yeah," Spyro scoffed. "I came here so I could whittle away the hours with my snout in a book."

"But, aren't we supposed…"

"Look, if you want to hit the books, go right ahead. Me, I've served my sentence." Spyro lifted off again. "I am going to take a look around. Figure Earth's got more sights to see than a room with magic lights and cute little flower drawings."

"Wait, what?"

"I wanna look around, see the sights." He spun around the room. "No offense but I think I'm still owed a field trip after someone interrupted the last one! No offense."

"That… that isn't… I-I-I don't think…"

"Spyro away!"

The dragon zoomed for the hallway before Cody could mutter a word more. Shaking his head he went after him, nearly tumbling down the steps and falling flat on his face at the bottom, though a slight sprain was left. By some miracle, he kept up with his new partner's pace. He blocked the door with his body just as Spyro's claw had gripped the knob.

"I-I really can't let you go out there." Cody stammered. "People can't see you."

"Ha, now that is a crime, don't you think?"

Cody held a hand out in pause. "No, you don't understand. Humans, they aren't used to seeing dragons. Except in maybe storybooks and movies…"

Spyro looked to be mulling over the thought, listening to reason and to him. Cody held his breath as his heart almost settled back into its normal pace. For the briefest moment, they stood in silence, Spyro on the ground and Cody relaxed over the door. "Well, that changes everything."

"R-Really?"

"Yep… it just means I'll make an even bigger impression!"

The dragon bounded away with springs in his legs and opened the window by the door, crawling beneath the glass. Cody reached for him but crashed over the chair nearby as Spyro had made it onto the lawn. Despite the throb of the sudden landing he slid beneath the glass and called out just as Spyro took to the sky.

"Spyro! Y-You'll get into trouble!"

To his surprise, the dragon swooped in, their faces inches apart. "Look, Code. Appreciate the concern, the whole watching my back thing. But I got that covered myself. When I fly, I fly solo. Later!"

It would have been at that moment that Cody figured he could meet the heart attack he predicted would bring his death. His lack of attention and basic inability had opened a Pandora's Box and let loose a dragon on an unsuspecting world of humans. The boy had been in such a panic he reached for his ratty sweater forgetting he was still wearing it. He fumbled with the lock and swung the door open.

Outside was the lawn, the empty street, the chill of winter air slapping him in the face. The outside world, where Spyro was now running amok. Yet his foot was frozen to the door stop, unable to take a step.

It only made sense, right? The last time he went outside he got sucked into an alternate world.

But it was more than that. He wasn't supposed to leave this house, ever. Cody stayed in that room, letting time and nature and life pass him by for a reason. The same reason he said no to Master Eon's offer. Spyro didn't want and likely not even need his help or his partnership, swatting his hand away with a nonchalant brush-off. So then why did he even say yes?

The best thing to do is act like it never happened.

He backed away from the door's edge and dragged it an inch from closing with a heavy sigh. A chirp from behind made him jump to the bird still on the counter, almost forgetting it was there in the commotion. It shivered and ruffled its feathers, avoiding the sprain on its bandaged wing, but it was eating its fill, calm at last.

The night he saved it, he hadn't been thinking. At the very least his mind had made a simple calculation of innocent creature plus accident equaled pain. There was nothing else to think about from that point. His father had always told him when he was younger that moments like that were what defined heroes. How confusing those words were to him as a four-year-old, but at least his father was speaking to him.

The bird looked at him and he looked back. Its eye locked directly into his. For a moment he stared. "Oh…"

Shaking his head, he flung the door open again and ran out.

* * *

Spyro never would have guessed a world on the ground would be more interesting than a world in the sky.

The dragon flew in a wide arc around the strange village, his head almost yanked between the strange sights. Endlessness was now ahead instead of downward as the horizon stretched far beyond his sight with no sign of an edge. There were airships with wheels moving fast and humans walking the streets by metal and wood trees with wires twice as tall as Eon, chatting away on their own magic glowing devices. They walked to and from miniature castles with red roofs like kings and queens on duty.

Spyro swooped along a row of bushes with the wind blowing them apart. He perched atop the roof of one castle, head high, wings spread, and gaze vigilant. An ember-filled spark came from his nostrils.

"Here I am, Spyro the dragon, lone protector of… whatever this place is called," he announced. "A hero from beyond the cosmos come to bring justice, I will erase evil where it hides and shield the weird fleshy creatures from harm. Bad guys beware, for-"

A scream echoed. Spyro looked to the source and gasped.

A woman was backed to the wall near an alleyway by a man in a wool mask. The man had a knife glinting in one hand and another holding out in expectation. The woman clutched onto her purse while people gasped, shouted, backed away or froze in place. Anyone else would have turned and run in a situation like that, but for a certain heroic dragon…

"First few seconds and a bad guy shows up already! I am all fired up!" Spyro zipped to the air. "All right, masked villain, get ready for a dragon-sized helping of justice!"

He charged like a bullet into the fray, a fire in his gut to his throat. The masked man failed to notice his charge, the perfect chance for a sneak attack. Though he might not have been as worried for a different reason. As Spyro made an arc ready to strike from the back, a barrier of wires stopped and entangled him.

The thief had set a trap.

"Gah! What the-. Okay, didn't see this one coming." He struggled to escape the mess of wires that roped and dug harder into his scales. "This guy's pretty clever for some random purse snatcher."

Another land-ship swerved by with a screech on the roads, a blaring louder than the dreaded school bell. Red and blue lights flashed from its roof stinging his eyes. People moved out of the way as two more humans in blue uniforms and caps with gold badges emerged. They raised pistols at the robber who now had his own back to the wall. From his viewpoint it had all the flair and tension of a classic good guy/bad guy standoff.

Their pistols shot red lasers beaming onto the robber's chest. One human called. "Do not make any sudden movements! You are under arrest! Put your hands in the air and back away slowly!"

The robber darted his gaze and made the sleazy move of grabbing the woman's arm and shielding himself behind her. His knife was now raised to her neck. "You're the ones who should make any moves! Or else the lady gets it!"

The air tightened with a collective gasp from the crowd.

The other blue human waved to the gawking masses. "Keep your distance, people! We have a crime in progress. Go back to your homes and remain there!"

It had all the effect of a veteran Skylander yelling to a crowd of wide-eyed Mabu. The people stood and stared muttering just shifting their feet, either too scared or waiting for something big to happen. The furry townsfolk back in the Skylands would have panicked from a sign of littering – an event like this would have sent them off the deep end.

Some things were universal, Spyro assumed.

"All right, time for a real hero to step in!"

The dragon's form shifted in the mess of wire sliding between his scales. He swung and spun and in a twister of action he managed to break free snapping the cable in half. With his wings open he looped over and around and resumed his descent. He hit the ground, the crash breaking the concrete.

Every human with working eyes jumped back, no doubt in awe. The robber and policemen lowered their weapons in the same state. Their standoff had been completely forgotten.

"Do not fear, citizens, I am here!"

"W-What the heck is this thing?" The robber stuttered. "You late on your way to some costume party, freak!?"

"Please, I wasn't about to miss the fun going on here," Spyro quipped. "You're messing with the guardian of… whatever this place is called again. So you better release that lady or else you're in for a world of hurt!"

Even the damsel in distress was confused, enough to forget the knife at an uncomfortable distance from their throat. In fact, there was more silence than Spyro had expected. Mutters came from the crowd like buzzing bugs as they inched closer, and some had even taken out their magic devices to send out flashes. If that was some kind of power, it was a strange way of helping. Only the blue-uniform man had taken proper action inching towards him from behind.

"Kid, this is no time to be playing hero, you need to back away. This man is armed and dangerous. Just come over here and we'll contact your parents when this is over."

"What!? I don't know what part of that to take more offense at! I came here to do some baddie busting, and that's what I'm gonna do!"

The robber laughed. "Oh, some nut in a dragon costume is gonna haul me off to jail? This is too much!"

"Dragon costume!?"

His hostage was choking in his grip as he continued. "What, what's next? Do you have some little pixie or dragonfly friend to give you advice on how to beat big, bad me? Huh? You looking for some high score, geek?"

That did it.

Spyro kicked a shockwave of dirt up with his rise to the air, re-seizing the attention of the gathered humans. The blue guys, in true loyalty between heroes, turned their weapons to him for a moment. "Yeah, hope you had fun laughing it up. But let's see if some geek in a dragon costume can do this!"

"He's flying?"

"What the heck's going on?"

A pale wash went over the robber's face and his hostage's. "Hey, kid… You better back off if you know what's good for you."

"I was about to say the same, minus the kid part. Get ready for a face full of flame!"

Spyro took in his breath, gases building and heat rising in the deep of his throat. He reared his head as the lashes of flames came to his jaws and let loose. The robber's screamed rang in his ears as the jet of fire escaped from his mouth, burning his flesh to ash. At least, he envisioned that last part. Though when he threw back and opened his maw, all that came was…

…a puff of smoke. One puff vanishing into air in seconds. "Huh?"

The dragon built his flame again and released, but only more smoke. A third attempt with more force and a cough was his only reward. He tried three more times and managed a spark on the second try, but that was all luck had for him. The reality was criminal – he was a fire-breathing dragon who somehow could no longer breathe fire.

"Okay, uh… this little snafu was not quite expected," his tone cracked. "Just gotta, just gotta pump the old billows here."

"Well, guess flying's all you got, kid. Some show, I gotta say." He flinched as the robber creeped forward like a Fire Viper on its prey now that the tables had turned. "So much for a 'face full of flame' – guess you should have checked your props before this little show."

"Uh, don't get any ideas, tough guy." Spyro held his ground, though his body had different ideas as his feet moved back. His scales rattled with the shiver running along his body. He shook it off with the best heroic stance he could muster. "Y-you're messing with a bona-fide hero!"

"Both of you, do not move!" The other humans shouted. "Stay where you are!"

"Come on, Mr. Hero," the robber almost strutted with the man's word on his deaf ear. "Let's see what you got…"

He growled to ward off the human, but he could tell an empty threat. No doubt his bowed head and his claw gripping at the cracked concrete was a bit of a difficulty as well. A band of Greebles or trolls armed to the teeth with their clubs was easier to stare down and were far more dangerous. Though the knife that rolled sunlight off it's surface in the robber's hand was looking sharp, Spyro could almost feel the cut. There was a particular pit of emptiness in his stomach along with the smog without a fire to fight back with.

Spyro was the best of the best in the Skylands, the perfect scores, stylish moves, and here the best he could manage was as a glorified sparkler. He would never hear the end of it if Eon or Stealth Elf or Eruptor or literally anyone from the Academy was here. First day on the job and he was raising his wings as a last-ditch effort at intimidation.

"Aw, forget it!" He flapped and flew away.

The robber watched dazed. The woman in his grip broke loose and whacked him with her purse. The other human tackled him to the ground.

* * *

Cody huddled past the street hiding his face in almost complete shadow. Even obscured behind the waves of clouds daylight still peaked out from the blanket of grey stinging his eyes. He moved with stealth sticking close to houses doing everything humanly possible to avoid contact or communication of any sort. For a reason he might have already known, more people were out and walking despite the winter chill.

"…Spyro? Spyro?" His calls were as audible as the leaves blowing.

His head rolled all around as he ran looking for any shade of purple or any flap of wings. All he got were people chatting, cars rolling, and the impact of blue as he hit a mailbox without seeing.

A pedestrian walked to him as he nursed his throbbing nose. "You all right, kid?"

The boy's answer was a sprint towards whatever secluded spot was within sight.

He hid between the gap of two houses, shoving his heart back down to his chest with heavy gasps. He was really outside, after five years of never leaving his house. No matter how many times he blinked there was still concrete with gaps for weeds poking at his feet. People were walking by scrolling through their phones at every moment.

"Oh, don't tell me…"

Cody flicked his own phone on and picked the news app. Ten articles in the last minute all stating how someone in 'a purple dragon costume' had tried to take on an armed robber. His eyes practically popped out. "Oh, no. No, nononono… how did this happen?"

He wandered out hovering over his phone with the disaster of Spyro becoming the social media topic of the month in his first few moments on earth. He was cut off from his thoughts by the screech of tires. A police car had stopped right in front of him, its skid marks still smoking.

The door opened and a policeman emerged in full uniform, more like a suit of armor the way its numerous pins, badges and buttons gleamed sharp. His powerfully-built body just restrained by the coat, he took a step and the fabric stretched like the crack of a whip. He peered down at the boy from the shadows brought by his cap's rim. His red locks, the same shade as the boy's own, further covered the stony glare and a face almost carved from rock.

"Cody?" The man asked.

"D-dad."

* * *

 **Here's the next one, and a week early at that. For everyone who was worried as to what was going to happen with a dragon in our neck of the woods.**

 **I'm thinking this will be the norm from now on. I don't want to spend forever on one story and I came to the realization that I'm not trying to write the next New York Times bestseller. I want to tell a story that I like, that I have fun making. From now on, new chapters will likely be released weekly, though there isn't an exact day they'll be released. Maybe Friday, maybe Saturday or Sunday. Most likely in that range.**

 **I remember some people asking about Cody's dad, and now we'll finally get the chance to learn about him in the next chapter, and a tiny bit more about Cody. Some other surprises are coming next chapter, including lots of new faces.**

 **Anyway, onto the reviews, I got a ton of them this time.**

 **Leopard23jose** **: Glad you enjoyed it.**

 **Hextor** **: I plan to, and you'll get to see the fruits of my labor much sooner now.**

 **Stephanieeiche** **: I'm not leaving writing yet – the best cure for writer's block or any kind of writer's frustration is just to write. I'm glad you've been able to get some inspiration.**

 **Challishanlon99** **: Your wait is over. And I plan to have fun, especially with what's up ahead.**

 **Gregorian12** **: I don't know if the government getting involved is the first thing on either of their minds – that's like next level panic. There's not much thought about the dissection thing, either. But in terms of government actually getting involved. Hmmm…**

 **Bookwriter94** **: I'm holding out for a fourth season as well. Honestly, I wish they'd do two season releases a year like some DreamWorks shows do, just so we wouldn't have to worry about this. But I guess Blizzard's animation studio is too small for that. As for Spyro being on Earth, well, he's ready for anything compared to being at the Academy for so long. The question is, is Earth ready for him?**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: Glad you're liking Cody, as you pointed out in the same review three times. And yes, I might as well say it since we've all seen it that it was Strykore calling out to Kaos. As to where it goes from there… I'm not telling.**

 **To sum up the answer to a lot of reviews into one, yes, I'll keep it here in the Skylanders games section. It just seems like it'll get more attention that way. I'm also currently thinking of making this story available on Wattpad as well. Just came to me today.**

 **Anyway, look forward to the new chapter next week. As always, review, favorite, follow!**


	13. Strange New Place

Cody had done his best not to writhe in the plastic seat staring at his lap. The one thing about police stations and prisons were that they were second homes for his family.

Fluorescent lights buzzed over the space filled with stacks of papers, the sound and pale lights headache inducing. A person's thoughts would be drowned out with scores of officers muttering on their headsets or phones ringing. Yet his father reclined eyes shut in his leather chair across the desk, almost at peace. The man had once spent two weeks in this very room sorting through reports without ever coming home. He wouldn't be surprised if there was a bed in the room.

The silence was always the worst as the man stood and trudged to the window staring to the lawn. A flash of his badge crossed Cody's sight. 'Gregory Evans,' the only name he knew the man by now. A heavy sigh escaped his mouth.

"I didn't think this would be an issue. That you'd stay out of trouble being home schooled."

His stomach twisted in knots. "…I-I didn-"

"And yet here you are, running around the neighborhood without a care in the world." His tone carried not one ounce of concern. "Did you lock the doors and windows before leaving? Did you bring your phone or wallet? Do you want burglars to break in or toss you in a trash can? Did you even think to prepare before you decided to act like a hooligan?"

The start of tears caused his eyes to burn. He only stared at his lap, letting silence speak for him.

He nearly fell from his seat when the door burst open. The curly-haired, sweater-wearing shape of Ms. Phillips barged in, her usual friendly face stowed away. A sterner version Cody never usually saw was in its place.

"Leave it to you to intrude on family matters, Lori. As usual…"

"Do not start that with me, Greg!" She barked. "Someone had to step in and take care of Cody while his devoted father was off playing 'policeman.' True to form you haul him off like a common criminal."

"My son was wandering around the streets on his own. I picked him up in my squad car."

"And I suppose you left your handcuffs in a drawer or something?"

"Here we go again," the chief rolled his eyes unfazed. "All right, let's flip the situation and ask what you would do if you saw an unaccompanied minor hiding between two houses and sneaking around?"

"For starters I'd ask if he was alright. Especially if he was my child!"

"Last I checked his documents his last name was 'Evans.' Let me say it again – you're free to give my son his private lessons but family matters are out of your jurisdiction."

Her stare from behind those rimmed glasses dropped the temperature in the room. "They are when a certain someone needs reminding he has a family. You flaunt that word around, yet you carry on like your wife and child don't even exist. Who else was going to watch over Cody after Alice passed?"

Cody went rigid, a glacier running his chest through. Her name. That was the trigger word for Armageddon.

Winter doubled over and the room went freezing, blizzards raging, air thin as paper, a new Ice Age triggered in that single office. Never in the half-hour he had been dragged into this police station had he wanted to leave more. Whether to find Spyro or to return to his room and barricade the door he wasn't sure or didn't care. Just to live that bliss his father did, to go on like she was never even real.

That still begged the question of how to leave. Running off would land him right back in his seat, and talking to his father was just as pointless. Right now the esteemed chief was going on like he was no longer in the room. His leg budged just to the side as if the former suddenly came with a last-minute appeal.

His father's voice suddenly came back into focus from the white noise. "… Look I got my hands full right now trying to track down some punk in a dragon costume who tried to play hero against an armed robber-"

Spyro, Cody thought jumping to the edge.

"-So if you have a solution to this, let's hear it." He turned away clearing himself of the whole ordeal.

Ms. Phillips turned to him again, back to her usual sweet demeanor. "Cody… I must admit, I'm a little surprised. I didn't think you would come out of the house so suddenly."

Cody half-nodded.

"Don't get me wrong, this is a good sign. It's a fantastic sign – you can finally go outside again," she placed hands on his shoulders. "This means we can finally move forward. I can get in contact with a therapist, we can keep taking steps. And maybe… you can finally go back to school!"

That sent another cold jolt, although sweat was running still. She had no conceivable idea. Cody shook his head, stammering out bits of sentences without any connection. He settled for pulling in and hugging his knees to his chest. It was the best substitute for the door to his room.

"I understand you're nervous, Cody. Maybe scared. But I'll still be there: I'm the school counselor over at St. Masters Elementary, so you can still get in touch with me. We can talk if you need help and if you want to go back to the usual."

He lifted his head.

"But I think this is very important for you: going to school might be what will finally help you get past this. Meet some kids your age and make some friends. It's well past the start of the school year but I'll put in a word with the teachers to give you some accommodations as well, and I'll get in touch with a doctor. Again, though, only if you're okay with it."

It was a loop of time in his head to where Ms. Phillips was a man with a flowing white beard and several mystical creatures surrounded her with eager faces. He never once considered himself a star student, never got particularly excellent grades. Yet schools everywhere couldn't resist making a student out of him. He wanted to put his feet on the ground and insist louder than ever that schools, friends, life, just weren't for him.

Instead he just swallowed and stared.

* * *

Big and loud, those were his first impressions.

A week later, there he was on a busy sidewalk at the entrance to St. Masters. Earth's parallel to the towers of Skylander Academy, the brick building stood at a shrieking four stories high. Cody cricked his neck looking up to the roof adding to the weight of a backpack filled with fifth grade textbooks. Its dull-colored walls rattled with the marches and shouts from the armies of children running around, their words lost in the noise. At the sidewalk school buses and cars came to unload more with the screech of their engines like explosions.

He thought he'd have at least a week before being thrown into the fray.

The boy understood Ms. Phillips' intentions, really. To anyone else, a lifetime spent inside the house wasn't a healthy sign. But a leap like this was like expecting a bird to fly across a forest after a single flap. She would understand if he wanted to go back to their private lessons and he only had to deal with one school's potential chaos.

Right?

"Excuse me," a polite voice came from behind him. "Would you mind stepping aside?"

Cody turned to the owner and his breath hitched. He was looking at what seemed like a modern-day princess, brunette hair in braids and a seamless, unruffled pink dress with a bow on the chest. Not a wrinkle in place, not even on her face as she wore a smile that he could barely tell was forced. "Were you waiting for someone, perhaps?"

"Oh!" He stammered and stumbled aside. "N-no. Sorry…"

Her heels clacked on the side walk as she passed. Her smile seemed a bit more genuine as she spared a glance to him. "Thank you. I suppose I might see you again sometime. Perhaps."

"Uh…"

"Have a wonderful day, Ms. Emeraude," came a dignified voice behind her.

Cody jumped as through from fire to see the girl had apparently emerged from a stretch limousine. A driver in a black suit had been the one to send her off. She made no response to her attendant's words as she walked on.

He almost hesitated walking on the same ground but followed suit. At least until a sharp blow struck him in the head.

The first thing he registered after the taste of dirt and sting of concrete on his cheek was the hand that grabbed him by the scruff. Focusing he stared into a vicious pair of green eyes belonging to a freckled face and misaligned teeth morphed into a scowl. A more plump face stood nearby hungry for the spectacle.

"Well, what do we got here?" The first answered with a voice like crunching rocks. "Fresh meat."

"Nice, we were getting bored picking on all the other wimps around here."

"Yeah, always fun to see a new crying face." The first pulled him closer, the move a phantom blow to the gut. "Alright, wimp. Fork over all the money and candy you got."

His first day and already he was running into bullies. Why couldn't anyone leave him alone, he thought stammering.

"That doesn't sound like a 'yes, sirs!' Do you wanna get your face caved in, new kid?"

"I say do it," the second piped in. "Maybe he'll feel more like sharing then!"

"Good idea. I know I feel like sharing!" The first bully raised his fist.

Something splattered on him the second after he shut his eyes. It might have been drool or blood – he'd really hoped for the former at least – but found it stickier. He'd dared to peek and saw the first bully's head was covered in a white-green gunk. Both of his tormentors went slack jawed as the stuff dripped and ran slowly down the neck.

The first bully went red in the face. "Alright, who did that? Who around here's got a death wish!?"

Another shot was his answer. A red balloon smacking his face toppling him over, exploding with the same gunk. Out of the grip, Cody fell back with him, just avoiding the impact.

Smearing the bits of goo from his face he looked to the mystery attacker. Perched on the stone rail for the steps, a boy his age with messy black hair and a torn jean jacket stared back with laser-eyed focus. Cody didn't dare look away if the kid wanted attention, lest he be on the receiving end of the slingshot in his grip. He stood with a new balloon in his free hand, his stance a fine line between 'hero' and 'rebel.'

The balloon quivered as he juggled it in his grip, almost waiting to be launched. "There's plenty more bags of mystery goop where that came from. Unless you want to find out how many, I suggest you back off."

"You again?" The second bully spoke with some familiarity.

The first had gotten back up, wiping the goop off his face. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

"I could say the same thing. Trips to the principal's office just don't seem to be working out. Figures."

"Oh, you are gonna get it, McKenneth!"

The two charged like angry animals. The other kid must have been the one with a death wish as without flinching, he spun the slingshot and loaded the balloon in his hand. He pulled the string back and launched, smacking the bullies with goo-loaded balloons. Like gunshots they came and coated the bullies from head to toe in goo.

After five shots each they'd had enough and ran off. One of them screamed they'd remember as much as Cody wanted to forget. He'd gathered his backpack's contents that had spilled from the open pocket in the mess. A shadow hung over him, belonging to the slingshot kid.

"Uh…"

"Standing around makes you a target."

His shadow peeled away as he walked off. He couldn't tell if it was helpful advice or if it was a veiled threat. Good will was rare to come by, he reasoned drawing his thoughts slowly to the latter. Good will on him was outright wasted.

The boy scooped up his backpack and followed. To think the day had barely even begun…

.

The boy stepped no further than the edge of the door into the hallway. Something about the squeaks of a thousand sneakers and the stench of fresh ink on the posters lining the way. Hollow welcomes to kids that didn't even spare a glance. If they would give him the same treatment he could brave the gauntlet to Ms. Phillips's office, wherever it was.

Pulling his hood up, he paced as inconspicuous as possible. Bowing his head, not daring to lock eyes with another living soul. His breath held in his throat, he'd never concentrated so hard in his life.

Yet he still didn't see where he was going. The boy bumped into a tall obstacle in a business suit.

"Sorry about that. You all right, boy?" The man turned and knelt to face him. His standard attire of a suit and tie along with deep auburn hair didn't fit along with the kindly smile he gave the boy on the floor. Perhaps it was the standard his own father set to not expect kindness from a man in such attire.

Cody caught himself staring, again. "Oh, n-no. I me-I mean yes."

The man took his hand and raised him to his feet, shaky as he was on his knees. "That's one way to make an introduction. You know, I can't quite place it, but you seem… familiar."

"I… do?"

He dusted some invisible dirt off his suit and stood almost proudly and at attention, his arms behind his back. "No, never mind. Just my imagination. Call me Mr. Leichter. I take it you're a new student at this school."

Cody turned to the ground. His best non-disagreement as an agreement.

The man, Leichter, kept staring at him, waiting for an answer. He felt as though he was under a stethoscope the man was paying so much attention. His foot shifted an inch back straying away.

"Ah, well, I suppose you might as well be, since I just can't seem to place your face. Truth be told, my daughter is also a student here, and she has quite the reputation. In fact, that's her now."

Cody looked behind him and saw the girl in question, marching down the hall. Her heels almost cracked the concrete with the way she paced, her plaid skirt barely moving. Her arms folded behind her back in the same way as her father's, she might have been carrying a bit or whip with the way her gaze intensified like steel upon noticing him. The boy shuddered wanting to back five paces for every one of her treads.

Another girl was at her side, like a secretary. Brown-skinned but wearing a lab coat and glasses with no sign of her eyes glancing over her clipboard. She was completely engrossed in whatever notes she had yet she still kept an even stride with the harsh young lady next to her with almost no effort.

"Well, I'll leave you to get acquainted. Work hard, you've got a lot of studying to do."

Mr. Leichter walked off. His daughter took his place with a scrutinous eye.

"Don't bother introducing yourself, I took a good look at your records." She huffed. "I am quite well aware of who you are – the problem student."

Cody didn't even stammer or gasp at her slap of a comment. Better to let her say her piece with as little resistance as possible, not like it was warranted. A problem student was a light way of spinning things in his opinion.

"Pay attention when I'm speaking to you!"

"Uh… so-"

"Spare me your excuses, do you know who I am? I am Mallory Leichter, student council president. My duties are to ensure the continued participation and performance of students at St. Masters. I do not tolerate any imperfections and your academic files are full of them, being out of public school for five years straight!"

"W-Well, I was-"

"Home schooled," She went on as if he had no right to speak. "That is no proper way to receive an education, away from your peers and proper guidance. In my opinion it's nothing but a gateway for trouble-inducing delinquents."

This was the first day of school he was expecting.

"You'll be glad to know that I will be devoting time to ensure you don't fall behind. Not that I expect much from you," she turned to the other girl. "Ms. Bryant, give him his required documents."

The other girl gave a tired sigh, finally pulled away from her notes and tiredly handed a stack of papers to Cody. "Those are your papers." She spoke in a British accent. "They include your syllabus for your class, a map of the school campus, schedules for the itinerary and permission slips and other files for your parent or guardian. Please have them signed and completed by the appropriate dates."

"T-Thank you…?" He relapsed the memory of Hugo and the mountain of books.

It might have been his imagination, but it was to the other girl's relief as much as his that Mallory had finally walked away, stalking as hard as she came. The Bryant girl adjusted her glasses and returned to him. "You've been assigned to the fifth-grade classroom at the end of the hall, across from the library. Please note you are not permitted on the upper floors as they are for student council and teachers and staff."

"Oh, a-actually, I need to speak with… with Ms. Phillips."

"If you want to speak with the school counselor, you must notify your parent or guardian to set up an appointment first." Her speech almost became robotic spouting off rules and guidelines without pause. "Now then, I'm actually quite busy with other things so I've arranged for another to show you around the school before class begins."

"HOLA!" The excited shriek of another boy came from out a nearby door.

"And there he is."

The girl had walked away, or rather escaped, as Cody came inches away from another boy's face. Frizzy hair and tan skin but with bright-colored clothes: green shorts and a red-sleeved white shirt with a taco on the chest. He was a powder keg of excitement as he bounced all around the frozen Cody.

"You must be the new kid. I know you're new because I saw you walking around and I thought to myself 'Sorpresa! I've never seen this kid before.' If I haven't seen you before you must be new so I wanted to give a big hola, like I did before, but then you started talking to other people. Which was good because you seemed a little shy. But I guess you're not shy because here you are, the new kid, talking to me!"

"Uh…"

"So, I'm supposed to give you a tour. I guess you kind of need one, since again, you're new around here. But I guess if you're talking to people you must know what the school's like. But anyway, let's review!"

He yanked Cody by the hand and ran off, almost leaving trails of flame. The two rushed to door after door. "So that's the aula, the classroom. The biblioteca, the library. The gimnasio, the gym. Yadda, yadda, yadda. OH!"

He stopped at two open double doors. The room inside was with multiple benches and an empty stall. Only a few people were in the back. It was a cafeteria, Cody reasoned. Yet the other boy was peering at some sacred zone.

"The cafeteria, with all kinds of delectable, delicioso dishes. The French bread rolls with crisp crust and a golden fluffy texture, the salad with cucumber and tomatoes. The pizza on fluffy pan crust with freshly roasted sausage and melted mozzarella and parmesan…. You wanna get lunch!?"

"But… classes haven't even started."

"Call it an early brunch," the hyper kid shrugged. "You look like a… tuna salad bagel sandwich with a side bowl of turkey and bean chili kind of guy!" Cody blinked. The boy knew his preferred lunch with one guess. Scary.

"Doesn't look like that's on the menu, but I can always whip something up. The lunch ladies love me and let me back all the time!... Oh yeah, I'm Pablo! What's your name, chili-sandwich-new-kid?"

"I'm…"

Cody wanted to avoid giving names, best not to get attached at all. He'd made the mistake of getting involved before and now had one foot in the muck. Best to get his father to talk to Ms. Phillips to help him yank it out and he could go back to only having one new school to deal with. Speaking of which…

One purple-scaled student was at the cafeteria window pressing on the glass. He paled.

"Spyro!"

"Spyro?" Pablo was still there. "That's un nombre muy gracioso! Funny name!" The other boy's laughter echoed as Cody ran out the hall.

* * *

Cody followed the streaks of purple to the outside of the school. Enough students had gone inside the building that even a dragon wouldn't garner attention. Circling around the building, he felt his body swung around and staring into the frantic, frustrated face of Spyro.

"There you are! I checked back so many times at your place and you were gone!" The boy almost wanted to apologize, even if he wasn't sure for what. "Enough kids were around this place so I swung around here."

"Did anyone… see you?"

"Uh, yeah! Plenty of people saw my epic fail! From there it was dodging folks and their weird flashy things! Let me tell you right now – you have no idea what I've been through in the last week! And to top it off, this! Another school!"

Cody swallowed the tension of the past week down for them both. "What happened?"

"For whatever whacked-out reason, my flame doesn't work!" Spyro was zipping in circles letting off steam. The dragon was a ticking time-bomb, and his ticking was getting louder by the second. "I could have taken that dirtbag on easy if I could have puffed out even a spark! This world is broken!"

The boy shushed him. For either of their luck, Pablo or any other of the crazy gaggle of kids he had met today would be here. They didn't need to be mystical creatures like the Skylanders to have outrageous personalities or circumstances. That universal evil was perhaps the one thing he and Spyro could agree on in that moment.

"Look, I have to go back and deal with this… let's just get you back to the Skylands."

The dragon descended, sulking. "Fine. So much for being an otherworld hero…"

Cody sighed with him. "So much for things being simple…"

The Portal in his hand glowed. In a flash of light, the two vanished.

* * *

 **And so we come to the end of another one. I have to say, considering the fact that I'm speed posting these new chapters, this one didn't turn out that bad. I think the next one will take a different perspective, since I focus on Spyro and Cody a lot.**

 **Anyhoo, we got a lot of introductions in this chapter. Keep your eyes peeled, because nearly every one of these new faces will be relevant once the story goes forward. At least one problem was solved, but now things have become a lot more difficult with more than one school in the mix.**

 **Onto the reviews:**

 **Leopard23jose** **: Thanks for the words. My favorite character in Skylanders Academy would have to be Spyro. However, Stealth Elf and Glumshanks are tied for a very close second.**

 **ZooFan** **: These updates are coming pretty often, so you don't have to wait very long.**

 **General TigerDragon** **: Spyro may not have his fire but at the very least he can avoid being caught by the police. Of course, if Master Eon had arrived, things might have turned out worse. And as for Cody, well, you saw the basics of his relationship with his father here.**

 **Gregorian12** **: They managed to make it back to Skylands, to Spyro's dismay. As for what happened to Cody and his family, that's going to be a while. And that kind of loss is not easy to talk about, especially when there's a deeper secret in regard to it.**

 **Bookwriter94** **: Well, Spyro's so confident in his abilities and how things come easy for him that he's not that adaptable. Much like how he is in the show's beginning. And I'm glad you caught the game reference!**

 **Bmarr** **: I'm flattered. A work of art? I don't know about that, but thanks for the kind words.**

 **Anyway, I've gotten a couple of inputs for ideas to add to the story. Let me point out that I already have a full idea as to where the plot of this story is going, so I cannot accept them. Thank you for your ideas anyway and you're more than welcome to go ahead with them as your own works. I encourage anyone who simply reads to go ahead and try out writing themselves. The point of fanfiction is for fandoms to celebrate what they love.**

 **But that's it for me. As always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	14. First Day

Another day of class, with seats filled, pencils sharpened, and textbooks at the ready. At the same time, there was that feeling in the air of something entirely new, with all the tension a first day was supposed to bring. For once, many of the students were rapt with attention.

Stealth Elf was no different, though she wouldn't blame others for not being able to tell.

Some cadets were gossiping or passing notes as to some aspect of Jet-Vac's mountains of homework when she had materialized out of smoke. It might as well have been her fumes of anger after Spyro's little stunt in sneaking off with an unsuspecting Cody to the human world. Even his defeated sulking didn't spare him from the onslaught of light-speed sheep bashing he had earned himself as punishment. She normally wouldn't have seized Master Eon's thunder, but she had done so when she had shouted him right into his room and kept him on academic lockdown.

It was the least his recklessness had earned him for burdening Cody. Fate was dragging the kid on a rocket-powered airship ride from the Skylands right into another school for humans. Between being under his father's lock and key, meetings to settle into his human school and studying for his classes, he had no chance to find Spyro. Not that anyone would have blamed him – the dragon had a penchant for not listening to others.

She tapped her pencil leaning her head on her hand keeping watch for the entrance. Spyro and Cody, the first Skylander and Portal Master pair. Master Eon had high hopes for them, but that only made one person in that Academy. She'd rather have seen for herself with all due respect to their headmaster: her instincts had never steered her wrong.

The door burst open. In came the pair of the hour.

Spyro was swimming in the air, looping in show for his classmates. He stopped overhead and plopped into the seat next to hers reclining with a grin. His performance had done little to impress the others, as usual.

Cody was another matter, completely lacking the energy or grace his partner displayed. He was teetering left and right, tripping over his own feet. The bags under his eyes just showed from the side and shadows of his red locks as he looked away from the crowd. The boy waited by the stone arch at the entrance into the room, gripping the straps of his pack.

The class looked back and forth between the two. Eruptor, ever on the attack, was the first to pipe up. "You forget something?"

Spyro snorted. "Please. Elf made sure I was ready for every test until semester's end. Least I got out for good behavior."

"I'm pretty sure Eruptor was referring to the half-dead human kid at the door." Elf gestured to Cody.

"Yeah, it wouldn't have killed you to give your new partner a few lessons before class."

"Ah, he didn't need my help. Code hit the books, hard, and Eon always says, 'persistence is the key to success...' There, I passed that little nugget of wisdom onto my comrade in arms. Partnership achieved."

Skull floated into Spyro's face, his orb smashing his snout. "Okay, that is some lousy symbiosis going on there. And this is coming from me, a familiar! Someone who's supposed to do all of Hex's bidding right down to after-school clubs!"

"Yeah, I don't think you get how the partnership thing works, Mr. Perfect-in-Purple." Hex called from her seat.

"Seriously, Spyro. Cody isn't in the least bit ready for what Skylanders are supposed to do." Elf stared him down. "How do you think a kid who's never dealt with magic or monsters will do in an actual battle? He almost fainted just looking at the obstacle course, and he barely held himself together against a few Greebles."

"Just call it the kid getting his Sky-legs. We all did at first… except for me."

"Oh, here we go again!" Eruptor barked. "Highest entrance exam score in the history of the Academy – we were all there, we all lived it! If only we could move on!"

"Exam scores didn't help in that mess against Chompy Mage," Elf continued. "Which you got us into, if I recall."

"Okay, okay! You want me to help him, you want a two-way street? Fine!" Spyro flew up and called to Cody, who's living half seemed to only barely pay attention. "Code, if you're still with us, just know you got the amazing Spyro to get you through the perils and pitfalls of Skylander Academy. A hundred-percent satisfaction guaranteed!"

The boy snapped to attention, shying away.

"I'm pretty sure the kid wants his money back already," Gill Grunt laughed.

"Yeah, if I were in his shoes, I'd feel like I was paying every second," added Sprocket. "But at the same time, being teamed up with 'Spyro the Great' is a deal that probably doesn't need any fixing up."

"We should all be so lucky…" Hex drawled.

"Ah, my adoring public." Spyro returned to his recline. Elf and Eruptor just sighed. It sounded like a step in the right direction, but with Spyro no one could tell if he ever had the right attitude.

The door burst again, this time with a jet of colorful smoke bursting. Pink and green fumes expelled from the entrance and spread over the classroom. As it settled, and everyone stopped coughing, a furry blue gremlin with beakers in hand was posed in front of their seats. Cody had frozen in place as Pop Fizz kept his googly eyes every which way but forward.

"So that's what happens when you mix volatile chemicals," Pop Fizz shouted in his weird voice. "Oh! Right, time to get on with the whole school thing. Okay, so apparently we got a new kid waiting in the wings."

All the students were only reminded of Cody when Pop swung like a monkey over atop the boy's shoulders. He looked tired but even Pop's light weight nearly brought him toppling. It was one of the rare moments Elf would have suggested a time-out from class.

"So, what's your name? We have ways of making you talk."

"U-uh… Ah… Er…" Even the boy's usual stuttering was drawled and sluggish.

"Don't remember or something? Ah, whatever – I forget who I am all the time. Among other things…" The gremlin cast a look around. "Hey, how did I get in a classroom?"

"Took the words right out of my beak, Pop."

Jet-Vac paced into the room, arms behind his back and beak up ready to puncture a hole in the sky. His armor was more polished than usual that morning. The veteran Skylander likely wanted to reflect the momentous occasion of a Portal Master joining the Academy, as he did with most things. He only shifted a pupil when he looked to Pop-Fizz. "You're in the wrong class, again."

"Oh, whoops…. Sorry, JV." He broke out his beakers and poured one's contents into the other. "Catch you guys on the flip side. If I survive this."

The concoction exploded with smoke in every color and sent the insane gremlin flying towards a nearby slab of island floating ahead. If they concentrated, they could hear a faint 'I'm fine.'

"That's going to stick in my head for a while…" Eruptor muttered.

"Right then, here we all are, on time for a change." Jet-Vac cast an evil eye at Spyro. "As you are aware, we have a new student, currently twiddling his thumbs and shaking like a leaf in the corner. This is Cadet Cody – rise and give him a proper Skylander introduction!"

The class stood as one with a show of uniformity. Yet they gave half-hearted grumbles of welcome. The curse of Spyro might have already been spreading to the unfortunate kid.

"I ask for soldiers and they give me this… Cadet Cody is the first Portal Master student here at Skylander Academy, and he is to be given the proper amount of respect and reverence." Again, the soldier bird's gaze and words and all the dignified ire behind them went to Spyro, who was currently balancing a pencil on his snout.

Cody walked the steps almost pressing against the wall and took his seat in the farthest corner, concealed by the tree's shade. Gripping onto the desk for balance he nearly collapsed and went to staring at the wood. From there the boy seemed to turn off his mind and let the rest of the world fade to black. Elf's gaze kept on him like a ninja star to the wall as if to ensure he wouldn't disappear.

"Now then, today's lesson. Who can explain the nature of the Elements of the Skylands?"

Elf raised her hand. "The Elements are the building blocks of the Skylands. Every creature, land, and artifact that exists here is made up of an element."

"Right you are, Ms. Elf. And precisely how many known elements are there?"

"Researchers and wizards are still investigating, but to this date, only 10 have been discovered."

"Indeed," Jet-Vac paced. "Now then, Ms. Elf, not that I don't appreciate your paying attention, but I believe we should see just how much our newest recruit has studied up. Cadet Cody, can you name one of the elements of the Skylands?"

Cody snapped up gaping like a fish out of water, his pupils darting. Voice croaking, he turned to the trio of Skylanders at the other end. Elf and Eruptor mimed any symbol they could think while out of Jet-Vac's view: the trees, the clouds, anything where sense could guide him down the road to the answer. Sadly, their signs were as good as gibberish.

Elf turned to Spyro wondering if the peril his partner now faced would trigger any generous instinct in her classmate. The dragon only remained puffing smoke rings out leaning in his seat. Spyro was a magnet for their instructor's attention, drawing him from Cody at least.

"Well, it seems a certain someone has it all figured out. Is my lesson too boring for you, Spyro?"

"Your lessons? Never. I'm just looking into an important topic right now."

"What would that be, pray tell?"

"How hard I can breathe to get an ember out, duh."

Cody came back into existence as his voice piped out. "Uh, fire!?"

Jet-Vac returned to him, giving a nod. "Ah, yes. Correct. Very good – it seems your partner was of assistance after all."

Stealth Elf turned her steely glare to the dragon whew blew a cloud of swirling embers and smog out. He was lost in that little cloud of his own indulgence. He was of no help at all, or at the very least he wasn't trying to help.

"Right then, to continue." Jet-Vac's voice returned her to the lesson as it should have. Strange that she was taking such an interest in other people. "The elements of the Skylands, as Ms. Elf has stated, apply to artifacts and tools used as well. In particular, these."

The bird-man brought out a case lined with crystals pulsing in a rainbow of colors. Their glows captured the awe of every creature, human or otherwise in the room. Even Spyro, who would have severed his own wings to miss a class, had shot to attention at the sight of the magical gems.

That should have been a welcome change, but Elf's tense hands around her desk's edge reflected the feeling in her gut saying otherwise.

"As you'll remember from our incident with Chompy Mage, these are Traptanium Crystals. We Skylanders use them to make our arrests of criminals like the Doom Raiders. Only a crystal of the corresponding element will successfully capture a villain. Keep sharp, this will be on the test!"

Elf's attention shifted, unclear as her pupils. Again, her thoughts wandered to the pair at either sides of the room. The two were like night and day, different in everything from their personalities to their reactions. Spyro stared at the crystals like a crow catching the glint of something shiny while Cody remained gloomy and silent hoping to melt into the shade. In terms of their norms Spyro would fly into the sun writing self-promotion for his good looks and high scores and Cody would stick to the nearest corner and let his presence drift to where he'd be passed as a figment of imagination.

What did they really think of each other, or the fact that they had been thrust into a life at each other's sides?

She and Eruptor had enough experience to know that Spyro looked at others the way a convict would look at the ball and chain strapped to their leg. No doubt Cody, who he had just met not long ago would be given that same treatment past all the happy smiles and just words. As for Cody, he had set his terms to Eon of a trial run, and after that would vanish in a burst of light back into that dark paradise he thought his room to be. The boy didn't have long enough exposure to Spyro to think of him as the others did and didn't seem to want that time either.

The two were willing to be civil but still wanted to place barriers between themselves. They had their worlds with their rules and everything that soothed them and didn't plan on leaving. Would they really be alright as partners?

* * *

The struggle was half over for the Skylanders as the sun sat centered above in midday. The dragon found it the perfect time to stretch his wings and feel the air void of judging stares or anything but the wind between his scales. Wide awake he took the chance to scan for a certain drowsy-eyed kid in a ratty sweater, dragging himself to the entrance.

He swooped down and stopped Cody with a second's warning. "Yo, Code! So, how was your first day here at old SA?"

"W-Well-"

"That's great, glad to hear it." He slinked an arm around the boy's rigid shoulder. Any contact at all and it just turned to stone. "Now, normally I don't do the whole 'asking for favors' thing, but I was wondering if you could lend a claw for a little extracurricular activity I'm working on."

"Ah, there you two are."

Like a whip crack, Spyro leapt to attention at the boy's side with the call of Master Eon. The old wizard gave a friendly look to them both though it turned a little more judgmental turning to the dragon. He gave his best inconspicuous grin with the full rows of his pearly whites exposed.

Eon puffed out looking proud at them side by side. "I had hoped to speak with you both as soon as your first class ended. Young Cody, adjusting well, I presume."

"Yes, sir…"

"Yup, couldn't be better!" Spyro added. "Like destiny, the two of us. Just best buds!"

"I'm glad to hear it – hopefully your success will be the grounds for the Skylanders and Portal Masters of the future, should that day come." Eon was truly happy, which Spyro had to admit made him happy. Though the old wizard's tone took an almost solemn tone. "In truth though, I am going around sending a warning to all students in light of Chompy Mage's recent attack on the Academy. We received reports from Snap Snot at Cloudcracker Prison, informing us that Kaos was the reason for the Doom Raiders' release."

That caught the dragon off-guard. He assumed anyone else would have the same reaction. "Kaos, as in mega-melon? Mr. I-Dream-of-being-an-Evil-Overlord? That Kaos?"

"The very same," Eon quirked a brow. "How he managed to do so is a matter I am concerned with, but we must look into it later. For now, the Doom Raiders is what is of greatest concern. The staff and I are sending a message to all students to remain on alert and not to venture out unattended. Who knows when our foes will strike next."

"You think they'll come back here?" Cody asked.

"Who knows? A hero must always be vigilant in the face of danger… Anyway, enjoy your lunch!"

Eon left for the Academy.

With the wizard out of sight, Spyro took back course. He flapped and perched on Cody's shoulders. "Well, we don't need to worry about them coming here. We are going to bring the fight to them."

"What!?"

"My plan of being a hero to humans kinda fizzled out along with my flame. So I have to resort to Plan B: we find all the Doom Raiders, re-capture them, the Skylands throws a party and parade in our honor and hello, freedom!"

"But aren't we just students?" Cody dashed away backing to a tree. "How are we supposed to fight criminals?"

"With these!"

Spyro broke out from a spot near Cody's tree the case of Traptanium Crystals from class. He pulled open the case and both stared at the full spectrum of freedom in the dragon's hands. They shimmered and pulsed with power, almost vibrating the chest and his claws.

"You wouldn't believe what I went through to get these from old JV. I swear that guy could sleep at attention." Spyro caught Cody's stare locked on, a sure hook. "Eon says a Portal Master's power can make them work."

The boy blinked turning away. He swam free in hesitation once more. "Uh…"

Spyro sighed. "Look, Eon filled me in on how it works. There's no magic in your world, so your powers? My fire? No go. The only thing I can do… well, I'm doing it." Flapping and flying in the air demonstrated his point. "Staying in one place is not going to fix our situation."

That got the kid's attention. In fact, it almost stuck some personal cord within him as he stared like he'd seen a ghost.

Spyro shut the case and swerved behind the boy's form. "We both want to get out of here, right? One thing we can both agree on is that there's no point in either of us being here. Just think of this as extracurricular towards an early graduation. We do this, and we never have to come back or even think of old Skylander Academy again. In fact you don't even have to do the hard stuff; I can take care of the bad guys before you can say 'Eon's your uncle.' So we got us a deal?"

Spyro was hoping with all the swerving around the boy's pupils were doing it was building up some energy for him to say yes. He was willing to commit to the necessary evil of having a partner in back-alley justice when the wild blue yonder called. There really was nothing they had in common other than the firm belief that neither of them was meant to be there. Cody was a nice kid, but Spyro and friendships, they just never worked out.

Yet the boy only gave a small croak and turned away. Spyro gave a growling pout like the boy needed a written order. Sighing he cooled down and slid the case into his pack, Cody watching all the while.

"Just take some time. Not too much time, because the sooner the better right." The dragon gave a thumb up. "And best to keep this whole thing on the down-low, too.

Cody nodded walking to the school. He'd come around. After all, they had everything to gain and nothing to lose.

* * *

 **That brings us to the end of another one. You thought Cody would be in human school by now, wouldn't you?**

 **This was an important chapter, I think, for the sake of what we should call a progress check. I remember one reviewer ask what Spyro and Cody think of each other at this point. They are supposed to be partners, but it is clear neither of them are eager to get close to each other. Stealth Elf is an observant character and has good judgment if Season 3 proved anything. Looking at things from her perspective might give a good idea as to where the two stand right now.**

 **In the meantime, Spyro's got a plan for escape. Is it a good one? Likely not.**

 **Anyway, review time!**

 **Crazyloop8888** **: Glad to see I've caught your interest. I was hoping I nailed these guys – sticking to personalities is what makes the characters work. Books and writing don't stand out as much next to movies and TV so you've got to try to make it pop as best you can.**

 **Challishanlon99** **: Don't worry. I think I'm still keeping at an even pace and setting reasonable goals for myself in terms of writing. Glad you're enjoying the story.**

 **BookWriter99** **: These two both have much to learn before anything does start getting better. Like it was mentioned in this chapter, they have their zones and they want to stay there. But change is all about getting out of your comfort zone, especially when you realize it's wrong. And as for Cody, yeah his family's a mess. As you'll find out later on.**

 **Bmarr** **: I don't know about greatness, but you'll get to keep viewing.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: This chapter hopefully answers all your questions. As for that true, blue friendship they're supposed to have, well, that's hard to achieve. But they'll get there.**

 **That's it for now. I checked the story's stats by the way. We're only a few away from 10,000 views for this one. This is quite the achievement! Let's try and get the favorite/follower count up too!**

 **As always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	15. Food For Thought

A half-hour for lunchtime didn't go as far as it used to, was the shared thought of the pair as they walked into the Academy cafeteria.

Sticking to the sight of his feet Cody steered clear of every dried drop of intelligible food or wet spot on the stone. Cadets filled the seats, most sullen as usual. For once, he could understand their issues with Spyro, as mean as it was to admit. He had his own tempest of thoughts on this new situation.

Just as the boy turned to his partner, Spyro had flown to the other side of the room and grabbed a table. Nearby cadets glared at the sight of him moving towards tables farther off. The dragon just shrugged.

Sighing he took the dragon's cue and sat at another table in the corner, alone.

"Hey there, Cody!" Elf walked over waiting.

"Fancy seeing you here," Eruptor joked. The lava creature had caught Spyro on the other end and dragged him over.

Cody huddled in and gave a nod acknowledging them. Looking over, he saw the dragon wink at him. He assumed that was a sign to keep their 'talk' on the down-low.

"No offense but we kind of thought you'd be an island's length away from anyplace with more than two people," Elf joked. "For once I'm glad to see we were wrong. So, how are you handling the rest of the Academy?"

"And more importantly, how are you handling this guy?" Eruptor pointed to the dragon stuck in his arm's crook.

Keep quiet. Don't disappoint Spyro.

"It's been… a lot."

"That may be the mildest description I've ever heard," Spyro quipped.

"Well, better get used to it quick. When you're a Skylander, life hits you hard and fast." Elf collided her fists. "You got to be ready for anything… even a lack of food."

That was an odd thing to say. This was a cafeteria, wasn't it? Yet Cody could admit there was a lack of strength in the smell of food.

The events of the past few hours laid a blow to his appetite, so his stomach behaved keeping silent. Not that he could guess what such creatures ate either. Even then it was a shock that few cadets had full trays. They were just as aware as their forks and chairs scraped surfaces making him cringe. A few groups were having arm-wrestles or other contests to gauge the lucky Skylander to walk out of the door fed.

"Yeah, Skylanders don't go saving the world on empty stomachs," Eruptor said. "The Academy's had a bit of a food shortage lately. Any more of this and I'll be seeing lizard gizzards when I look at all the dragon cadets."

"Another reason for me to slowly back away," Spyro joked. Eruptor glared fixing him in place.

Cody turned to Elf. "Why doesn't the Academy have food?"

"The Academy gets shipments from some of the local restaurants and stores in the area. The teachers rent themselves out for security detail in exchange. About a week ago, though, we started seeing smaller shipments. It wasn't much at first, but now only a few cadets actually get something on their food trays."

"The lamb chops were really popular, not to mention the fresh mutton," Eruptor was drooling lava. "Add a little Eufirbia and a rock burger and you got yourself some culinary heaven…"

Rock burgers? Lizard gizzards? This was what was considered edible to Skylanders?

Still, it wasn't far for hunger to make everyone even grumpier. His mother had always said to help others as best as one could and in any way one could. With a clenching chest at the memory, Cody rose a little too quick from his seat. "…Um. I-I have to use the… bathroom. I'll be right back."

With their nods and silent stares to bid him off, Cody walked off. He kept his head bowed and hands pocketed past all the cadets once more, turning back to the trio of cadets. Spyro and his backpack were the things that had his attention the most though. The door to the bathroom was ahead, but he took a left into the cafeteria kitchen instead.

Ironically the place where those bizarre meals Eruptor described was the cleanest place in the building. It was a picture-perfect forest of utensils and spare herbs and spices, their collective scents setting his nose on fire. A few spare vegetables in sacks were the closest things to actual food. Anything else was just washed out pots and pans begging to take part in the next culinary concoction for the starving students outside.

In the silent room, he finally had the time to gather his thoughts. Spyro's offer, or rather his objective, to take on criminals even accomplished heroes had trouble defeating. His key role in that suicidal plan.

The stone in his pack was what made him a Portal Master, or so he was told. Even so, was that enough?

Lost in thoughts he looked back to his first talk with Master Eon. How it ended, what he'd said, how he didn't belong. He was sure of what he'd said that time, but now he was needed. Looking to the cadets outside, he wondered if some random boy who came across a stone was really on their level. Did Spyro really think he could help with this? Then again, he didn't have much of an option.

Help others as best as you can, whenever you can. His mother's words came to him again.

Right. Do what he could.

Along with the sweet sound of her voice came another memory. His mother's old recipe for chili, one that she always said could be made with anything. Only bits and pieces of their times cooking it together. He hadn't made it in so long, not since she…

Cody rolled up his sleeves and picked up the largest pot among the bunch. Over an old stove, he tossed in coal and lit a match to light the fire in the hull. He grabbed as many vegetables as he could, along with whatever herbs smelled close enough. He threw them in the pot with a big splash of water.

Grabbing a handful of plants, he stared at the leaves beginning to burn in his hand. They fell in the pot and the boy scrambled to bring them out. Which ones worked as spices, and which ones were herbs? Which one added the right about of flavor? He looked to the pot and scooped out a potato he threw in earlier. Potatoes didn't go into chili, right?

Most of the vegetables were wrong now that he thought about it. Maybe he wasn't remembering as well as he thought. One tomato was soggy and splattered on his shoe. Cody sighed stirring the pot looking at the mess of a meal. It was always good enough, he recalled with stinging eyes. His mother always had that magic in her fingers that made the chili taste great no matter what. After all the times he made it with her.

"Well, well. Looks like someone's going for hidden meals."

Cody jumped. He turned to the head of the speaker, and that was all he saw. A head. A floating blue face with eerily glowing eyes, hair like blue seaweed and a pink bow. It was the sight to emerge out of a nightmare.

"Um… I wasn't trying to…," he started. "T-This is for everybody."

"Whoa, for reals? Well, aren't you just totes sweet?" The head spoke. "So sweet it's grody. Name's Dreamcatcher."

"Uh, hi." Cody tried to turn to his cooking while giving her attention.

Dreamcatcher sniffed and spun back. "Ugh. Okay, for really real, if you wanna do something nice for everybody, throw that out. It smells worse than the normal lunch. And that is saying something."

Cody blinked. "Is it… that bad?"

"Oh, well, like, don't take my word for it. I don't exactly have a stomach. But if I were you, I wouldn't serve something that had everything but the kitchen sink tossed in. No biggie, though. I'm no expert on food, even if I'd take that over anything else here, but maybe there's a good chance at least one serving of the stuff won't give somebody an ulcer."

The boy's mouth went dry, cheeks flushed. "This is… for everybody. I wouldn't-"

"Sure, sure. And if a certain someone was smacking his lips, that'd make you feel totes good too, right?" Dreamcatcher hovered a little too close. Sweat trickled down his neck as the fire rose and she came close. They both looked to Spyro in the crowd. "The perfect Skylander deserves the perfect meal. Yet, here we both are looking at whatever this is."

"I'm trying to help."

"Doing what you can?"

How… did she know that? The boy's head spun, eyelids drooping.

"You're hardly scoring points serving slop. Portal Masters are, like, supposed to be great wizards, helping Skylanders and whatever. I mean, gotta ask, even if you didn't poison everyone, what's the end game here?"

"End game?"

"So you can toss stuff in a pot. Not like that makes you a big help to any of them."

Cody turned to his work, the gunk bubbling with slimy pops. Maybe it was as bad as Dreamcatcher described; every ingredient now seemed wrong. He should have added more of that, or less of that other thing. He should have measured ingredients or looked up the plants. The contents began to spin in his view while the kitchen turned into a furnace.

"Well, what-evs. I'm sure Spyro the Great and the Skylands will make do with the new 'head chef.' I'll be taking a nap and dreaming of impending doom… Nice chatting with you!"

Cody watched the head float out cackling with a mouth full of sand. His efforts seemed like such a waste now. A burning smell came to his nostrils like toxic waste. He startled and pulled the pot from the stove top. Wobbling with the weight and the light feeling in his head he set the pot down. The sludge inside bubbled and radiated heat.

Once again, his efforts weren't worth anything, He set the pot atop a wooden rolling tray by the door. He'd just have to pin his hopes on Dreamcatcher's. Maybe one serving wouldn't rot someone's stomach.

* * *

Eruptor's arm was feeling cold with how long Spyro's head had been trapped in it, almost like the clamp of metal. There was a crick in his neck that wasn't bound to go away soon either. Neither of his dorm-mates seem to notice staring at the cadets. Many were starting to puncture holes and gashes in the tables with the silverware.

"It's like the whole Academy's on edge," Elf spoke. "And I don't think it's just got to do with a bunch of empty stomachs. Master Eon gave you guys the update too, right? About the Doom Raiders?"

Oh, yeah, really emphasized the 'doom' part," Spyro shrugged. "They're probably going to have some trouble catching them, though."

Elf blinked and gave a curious stare. "Really? What makes you think so?"

"Oh, nothing! Just top-notch criminals, right?"

"Uh-uh, don't start with this again." Eruptor's arm gave the stronger impression of choking him to death as he pulled him close. "Just a random question because you tend to be oh-so-open, but what were you and Cody talking about when Master Eon ran into you guys?"

"Master Eon told you we were talking?" Spyro's eyes danced rolling around Eruptor's. "That's an invasion of privacy."

"We all know what happens when you're left alone. Spill!"

"Fine, we were chatting about the weather. My winning shot in the last Skyball game. Some of our favorite moments with Hugo's irrational fear of sheep."

The lava creature glowed with heat, flames emerging overhead. "Oh. Oh yeah. I see what this is, uh-huh. Cool to my heat. But this right here, this is how I know you got your claws crossed behind your back."

Spyro blinked grinning at how he caught on. There was a patch of insight submerged in all that boiling magma.

"Eruptor, cool it." Elf popped in calming her teammate.

"I ain't cooling it! I ain't 'taking a chill pill'! I'm getting answers! I'm tired of this guy always zooming off with his name in smoke and leaving us to cover his messes!" He gave Spyro a hard shake. "And what about Code!? You thinking of making him the fall guy for your next 'act of heroism'!?"

"Somebody should watch their temperature." The dragon patted him slipping out of his grip at last. "And I was born for heroism, as I've so often been told. One good puff of flame and the only fall guys will be bad guys. Code can see how it's done and take note as my personal chronicler. Now if you'll excuse me, I should get him started."

Spyro had always had a sense of the unexpected. In a sense to many, he was the unexpected. But Eruptor's words as he jumped and crashed on the floor, he could never have imagined.

"GGRRRAAAAHHH!" He unleashed an eruption from his forehead. "I WISH YOU WOULD'VE GOTTEN STUCK IN THAT OTHER WORLD FOR GOOD! WE'D FINALLY BE DONE WITH YOU AND YOUR STUCK-UP ATTITUDE!"

.

.

Spyro was dumbfounded. Steam rained over in silence.

"Eruptor!" Elf shouted first. "What is wrong with you!?"

"No kidding. I travel all the way to another world and do A Skylander's job, and all I get is guff."

The dragon swallowed, gulping back his wind and sense. He floated down with some air still out of his wings but stared the rock creature's flaming glare with one of his own. "I'm just doing the job I'm meant to do, E. You got a problem with it? Take it up with Master Eon. At least he can see what nobody else around here is able to handle. That I'm ready."

He couldn't let them see the way his claws trembled. Master Eon, who raised him since he was an egg in the forest. Master Eon, who spent years filling him with thoughts of greatness and glory, telling him he was 'special', how being a heroic warrior was just embedded in him.

Over the years, he had proven as such. The best exam scores, highest marks on training, perfection on every assignment and exercise that had been thrown at him. Even a few awards and trophies for 'Most Accomplished Student.' He'd soon barely needed to lift a claw to get the same results. Stick yourself on a pedestal long enough and you stop seeing the bottom, even as others strain to see the top.

He could live with it, having the best view of what lied beyond. Every time Spyro looked in the mirror he was told to see a legend, and he could fly with unseen wings. He was special, he had to believe that.

From the looks on the other cadets' faces and Eruptor's own, no one else did. They wanted to tear those wings off.

"You know what? I got things to do – maybe I'll hit the training arena since you think I need 'improving' so bad."

"Oh, we are not done here!" The lava creature still had heat to spare.

"Please. We never even got started…"

Spyro was airborne and heading for the door. He didn't spare another glance at the two growing farther away.

"Get back here, you scaly hot-air balloon!"

"Eruptor, for the last time, knock it off!"

Eruptor's stub glowed, bits of rock swirling at the tip. Despite the heat, blood ran ice-cold amongst the cadets who scrambled under tables. With a boom, a fireball was shot out.

* * *

The pot in Cody's hands rammed open the door with its chef wobbling with the weight. The metal stung in his hands, and the scent left a lot to be desired. He looked out to the crowd of hungry mouths. Maybe empty stomachs would do something for their taste buds and make the experience more pleasant. Dreamcatcher's words kept haunting him.

She might have just been mean for the sake of meanness. It couldn't be as bad as the smell implied. The taste could make up for it.

The chili reflected an orange hue, heat rising rapidly. A fireball was coming.

Cody screamed.

His foot slipped. Chili was flying in the air. The next he knew, a crash was heard, an explosion behind, and his face and sweater felt burning and moist. His head throbbed rubbing the spoiled meal off his clothes as best he could.

It was only looking up he noticed the entire Academy staring at him once again.

Eyes of every color, shape, and size gazing, judging, and deeming what they saw… laughable. Snickers in ones and twos started at odd spots, then more came. Soon enough the whole room was laughing at his mess.

"Cody!" Elf appeared next to him pulling him up. "Are you okay? What happened?"

What happened was that his efforts had only made him a joke to everyone in the room. If he had been helpful in any way, it was as the school dunce meant to give everyone a laugh with the magic of utter incompetence. He truly was useless if he couldn't even make a proper lunch let alone stain the floor with it. Even Spyro had already left the room unwilling to look at him.

"I…. should just go home…"

Cody dragged his hood up so no one could see his miserable face. He ran with lightning speed across the room grabbing his pack and ran the same speed out. He fumbled with the stone in his hand and gripped it with white fingers.

"I really am nothing."

Before Elf and a much calmer Eruptor could do anything, he was already gone. The two only looked to each other, knowing a much bigger mess was caused than a pot of spilled chili.

And at the end of another table, a certain floating head was smirking.

* * *

 **That wraps this one up. A little on the shorter side, but this is a decent length for normal books.**

 **I think this was important because though our main pair have a game plan, they are reminded of where they stand in their surroundings. The road to growth is never traveled lightly. The mission has become a lot more difficult. But next chapter, things will begin to pick up, with a couple of surprises too.**

 **On another note, this story has reached 10,000 views. That is so cool! Let's keep up the stats, too!**

 **Not much to say here other than that, so let's jump into the reviews:**

 **Crazyloop8888** **: Yeah, Spyro's plans have always been a little half-baked. But as he would put it, what's the fun in a super crazy plan when you can just wing it? He and Cody will get through it, somehow.**

 **Bookwriter94** **: When you're right, you're right. You'd be surprised though at just how much things went downhill. It is only now that Cody is starting to pick up the pieces.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: A Doom Raider attack is imminent, but I'll leave who up to your imagination.**

 **And to everyone else, thanks as always for the kind words.**

 **As always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	16. No Turning Back

The lines of wood in the desk might well have been burned into his eyes as he slumped over the surface. They overlapped with the wood from his room's desk. Cody was starting to miss that simple table, let alone the entire room.

He missed the darkness, the silence, the space to be left alone with his thoughts. Now his ears were flooded with the shouts of other children on the playground for their 20-minute recess. A few weeks of the repetition of textbook and play into two schools had left him with no time to settle matters that screamed for a decision. Cody could only admit to those burning questions he wasn't the most decisive person in two worlds.

Spring had come in that time. The chill of winter still lingered but carried with it blossom petals the brightest shade of pink. Pollen in the air made him sneeze, but there was an almost sweet smell from flowers coming into bloom. Everything was damp from the previous night's rain, but it made the lawn and windowsills glisten.

The pale light hit his books and the open case of Traptanium crystals he still had. Cody had been spending little time around their sources. His own hands strayed from even touching either. If there was any decision involved, it was reflected in his limbs huddled into his chest wanting nothing of either.

Cody's thoughts drifted like the lone petal in the air landing on a red crystal, the magic swirling within still. He remembered glimpses of the moment when Chompy Mage was pulled in screaming towards the crystal, inside some magical space from which he had no escape. There were so many times he'd been told of the capabilities of Portal Masters, how even one could turn the tide of full-scale wars in the Skylands. Some of that must have gotten through to Spyro, else he wouldn't ask him for his help.

It was desperation, asking him for favors. If Spyro wanted to succeed, he shouldn't be involved. Yet for Spyro to succeed, he needed to be. He was like a lead weight of a requirement.

If only either of them had another option.

He should just return the crystals. Spyro was a stranger to disappointment, and maybe it was better that way.

A familiar, bubbly voice popped in. "Wht'cha doing?"

Cody yelped nearly falling over in his seat. With his grip on the desk he looked up into the giddy eyes and frizzled hair of Pablo, his guide from weeks ago.

The cheerful student looked to the case. "Look at that! Bonito! You got crystals? Where'd you get them? What are these funny faces? Where'd you find this awesome-looking case? I could use it for my homemade tacos! Do you wanna trade?"

Cody shit the lid and stuffed it back into his backpack as quick as he could. He cringed hearing papers crumple inside. "I-It's nothing. These are just… ornaments!"

"Ornaments? Do you use them for Navidad?" Pablo leaned in close. "You know, I once asked my abuela if we could use tamales as decorations for our tree and paint them with food coloring. Delicioso and bonito!"

Cody drawled with no possible response in mind.

He looked out the window to the children on the grounds. His eye caught the glimpse of a pink dress and the wearer that looked so familiar sitting at the base of a watching tree. A soft-spoken response from a near-perfect appearance and a stretched limousine left behind.

"That girl…"

Pablo's face smashed into his. "What girl? Do you mean that one from class with the braces and the snorting problem? Lindsey? Or maybe Emily or Courtney – she does a lot of cartwheels. Or maybe-"

"Uh, no. I meant by the tree."

Pablo leaned over. "Ooohhh, you mean Katelyn! By that I mean 'the fair, esteemed, and ever-radiant Ms. Katelyn Emeraude:' that's what Mallory and some of the boys call her. Her mom's the owner of this super big fashion empire with a big business hq and is involved with super-famous designers! So yeah, she's a rich heiress – kind of a big deal."

"She's wealthy?"

"Yeah, which explains the whole thing with the prez and the whole fancy-pants title. Probably thinking her mom would give some money to the school." The hyperactive boy hopped on a desk next to the quiet one. "There was all this talk about her being sent to some super fancy-pants private school. Our schools not really up to her standards, I guess. SO back to your funny sparkly-stone thingies-"

"Oh, I, uh… left something out on the playground." Cody scooped all his items into his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "I should… go get it. I'll… see you later?"

"Sure! I mean, it's not like you're going anywhere!"

Cody knew that all too well, not matter how much he wanted to believe the opposite. He left the laughing boy alone and slid out a side door to the side of the building. He wanted to deal with as few people as possible.

There was the playground, with kids running all over equipment, playing basketball, and running on the fields like ants swarming a picnic. Cody moved slinking between shadows and ducking behind bushes, keeping distance even from the sounds of laughter all over. A child ran through every so often, leaving the boy to dodge bouncing balls or jump at the swing of jump ropes. He backed away to a tree where he was sure no random child could come out and surprise him.

"Excuse me?" The familiar question in that familiar voice spoke.

Cody turned to see the brunette-haired girl looking from around the very tree he was looking for. Even so, it took him more than a few moments for his mind to catch up.

"Oh! Um…"

The girl tilted her head. "You're the boy from a few weeks ago, if I recall."

"Yeah… sorry for bugging you."

There was a minute or two where the only conversation came from the tree raining down blossoms. One sat, the other stood, their eyes darting every which way. One scratched his arm, the other checked for any ruffles of her dress or hair. Cody didn't even know what his purpose was in coming to see this girl. Whatever it was, it might have just been wasted.

The girl pulled her phone from a pack on her belt. Looking at the screen she blinked and rushed around the tree. "Well, it was nice to meet with you, but I have a previous engagement. I must be going now."

"Wait, wh-"

Cody didn't mistake the sight of another limousine, as black and polished as before, pulling by the school. No one ever mistook something like that happening. Katelyn was just as surprised, but much less pleased.

A group of men in suits emerged from the doors. They marched like robots, mechanically taking steps, their eyes shaded by sunglasses. In a perfect row they came up to the girl and surrounded her. Cody ducked behind the tree praying he went unnoticed. Maybe because of how cowardly it felt, he leaned over to watch the exchange.

"Ms. Emeraude, we've been sent for you. Your mother has given explicit instructions to take you home." The first man spoke. "Please come with us."

"But I still have school." The girl spoke meekly.

"We have already informed the school beforehand," a second man added. "Your mother asked us to inform you that this is an important matter regarding your future."

"I can't-"

"This is not up for debate, Ms. Emeraude," came the third man. "Your mother's orders. Please come with us.

They marched as one unit like a wall closing in on her. The girl couldn't help the step back. She looked for any escape and for the briefest second, her eyes turned to him.

Cody couldn't believe what he'd done next. Though he should have from the last time.

He grabbed her hand in his and ran leading her away. They cut through the swarm of kids leaving the suitors behind amid an energetic basketball game on one of the courts. They tried to shove past some children only to trip into others. They grew farther away blending into gathering kids and plants as the two runaways passed an old rickety gate.

The nature area for the school, a place to learn about the local plant life donated from those who had no place for sparse trees or flowers. Many generous donations had been made as the path was nearly lost in brambles and overgrowths of plants and ivy. Their feet kicked up dried leaves and petals as they delved deeper into the wood.

Cody was already out of breath as they reached a clearing surrounded by bushes. The cry of their pursuers sent a jolt through him and he pulled them both down. The girl's hand was wrenched from his cold palm.

"Enough!" Katelyn yelped. "What were you thinking back there!?"

Cody backed away as his rescue turned to interrogation. "I… Y-You just… you didn't… who were those guys?"

"It's none of your concern," the heiress spoke. She brushed her hair and unruffled her dress to reach her perfect appearance as best she could. "You shouldn't have gotten yourself involved. Now mother will be furious…"

"…You didn't seem like you wanted to go."

If there was one thing Cody could relate to, it was that. Amid so many who were ready to burn down their chains and the cell they were held in, for once there was someone who was happy where they were. He missed those old comforts in his room, growing blurrier in his memories as time went on. Through his words, the girl before him turned into the person he saw that convinced him to reach out his hand.

"Mother knows what is best for me. It was no mystery what she wanted to talk to me about. The time for me to enroll in one of her listed prestigious boarding schools and finding a proper suitor for the day I inherit the company." She didn't turn to show her face. Not that Cody couldn't guess from her far softer tone. "Talk of the future of the Emeraude name."

"Oh…"

The bushes cracked.

Both children yelped. The leaves in the bushes rustled and rocked. Something was hiding within and drawing closer by the minute.

"They're coming." Katelyn whispered in distress.

He wished she didn't say that – it only increased the tension in the air to where breathing was like swallowing spikes. Running any further into the forest would only get them hopelessly lost and possibly injured. There was only one way out, and Cody knew it.

Cody crawled and took Katelyn's hand. To both their surprise, he looked her dead in the eye. "Okay… I'm about to do something drastic and crazy and just really kind of unbelievable and it might freak you out. Do you trust me?"

"What are you-"

"I really need you to trust me and stay close!"

The girl blinked, as did he. He'd nearly ripped out his own tonsils for that volume – his voice even cracked somewhat. But what happened next surprised him even more. "… Okay."

The shadow frim the bushes took a shape, staring at them with almost glowing eyes. It leaped, ready to strike. Both children screamed. Cody reached for his pocket and pulled out the stone which exploded with light. Leaves and blossoms swirled in a wild wind as the glow burned and expanded.

The flash settled, and the leaves were released from the hold of magic. They fluttered to the ground alone. All three were gone.

.

Their feet touched solid ground again, though the crunch of leaves was quickly replaced with the thunk of wood. Sunlight tore open their eyes as both stood at the gate to the Academy. A training ground for heroes seemed like the safest place one could be at any time. But with cadets roaming and soaring over the grounds he'd picked a terrible time to appear with another human.

He'd remembered his panic from when he'd first arrived in the Skylands. Wide eyes, pale skin, shortness of breath. It was the exact same face on the girl next to him. Stumbling without any trace of composure for a girl of her status, her head tore itself to the overload of sights at every turn.

"W-What is going on!? What is this place?" She near shrieked.

"I-It's alright. Everything's going to be okay. Just calm down…"

"How can you expect me to be calm!?" Skylanders were looking at them now. One human drew enough attention, but two was a show. "Where have you taken me? What are those things!?"

"I don't know, but they look muy genial to me!"

Both jumped at the giddy voice. Pablo was right next to them, that frizzy hair and taco shirt were unmistakable.

"Wait, you?" Cody blinked. "What? H-how did you get here? I thought you were still at school!"

"I was, and I was just about to enjoy the enchiladas my abuela and I packed for lunch but then I saw you go over to Katelyn and I thought you were going to invite her for lunch. So I decided I'd beat you to the punch and we'd all have a punch lunch super-duper fiesta! But then you started playing that fun game!"

"Game? What game?" Katelyn asked.

"Uh, the 'run from scary guys in black suits into the forest and work up your appetite' game! I didn't have a black suit or sunglasses, but I thought I'd join in and surprise you." Pablo hopped on the stone rail. "Guess I was the one who got surprised. You really know how to pick a great spot for lunch time!"

"You mean it was you in the bushes?" Cody asked.

"Yep!"

Katelyn marched up and pulled him by the wrist towards her. "This is not a game or a meal! Have you not noticed we are in some kind of alternate dimension?" She turned to Cody, somehow still graceful in her heel-turn of fury. "Will you kindly explain to us where we are and, more importantly, how to return to where we were!"

Cody wished he had an answer for her, and in the back of his head, he knew he did. But this thoughts were trapped, bound around the simple fact of the planet-sized mistake he had made. They were never in danger, they were under threat by some hyperactive boy with a massive stomach, and yet he'd warped two random children to the Skylands. No one said it was against the rules, though keeping an entire world secret should have been hard.

How could he fail so incredibly? He couldn't tell them what was happening. The list of failures was long enough without confessing everything and run the risk of more people knowing. His foot shuffled back a step as they closed in waiting for explanations he couldn't give.

"Yo, Code!" The voice of Spyro called from overhead. "Little early to be slapping the ball and chain back on, don't'cha think?"

The other kids gasped. To think he believed the situation could not get worse.

"Oh, hey. Found some new kids to pal around with. Cute, but on your own time." His scaled claw pulled the boy around. "Anyhoo, earlier the better. I got us some good intel for our first mission."

"Uh, Spyro…"

"I've been doing a little scoping out, gathering some intel. You know, covert hero stuff," he looked proud with that claim. "And I found some place in town that's got something shady going on. Sounds like a good place to see if evil's slinking through the cracks."

"T-T-That's a…" Katelyn pointed a shaky finger. "T-Tha-That's a d-d-dr-dra-"

"Es un dragón! Y está hablando! Y es morado! This is crazier than quinoa pizza!" Pablo shouted.

Trading glances between the three, Cody went to his partner. "Spyro, um… I kind of, sort of, have something else to deal with here. They're not exactly… that is…"

"What, your new pals? Eh, they'll be fine. They're in the safest place they could possibly be! Good instincts!"

At least he and Spyro could agree that here they were safe from the dangers of a world they knew nothing about. Then again, Chompy Mage was able to invade the Academy despite the claim of the pearly white walls being sanctuary. If nothing else, they ran the risk of losing their minds the longer they went unattended. "Well…"

"No time for talk, duty calls!" Spyro hefted him by the shoulders and took to the air. "Nice meeting you, random kids!"

"Wait!" Katelyn called. "Where are you going!?"

"We'll be right back!"

Spyro clearly wasn't used to added weight when he flew. Despite that, the two of them were gone in the blink of an eye. A twinkle in midday marked where they were last seen. The two new arrivals were completely alone.

"Well," Pablo spoke. "Like my abuela always said! When you're in an alternate world, always trust the first dragon you see after he carries off a kid!"

"… Your abuela always said that?"

"Yeah, haha… She was weird!"

* * *

"Alright, get ready, kid. Our mission begins here." The dragon spoke at the edge of a stone dock at the end of the campus town.

The Tasty Zeppelin, an old airship remodeled into a restaurant with a motto matching its old flying days, 'food that will make your taste buds soar.' The massive blimp was chained to the road with anchors that still gleamed a bronze glow like new, as the pant job held elegant patters and swirls. It was the ideal place for the Skylands' elite to dine, despite its criminal origins. Not to mention the five-alarm fire scent that came into Spyro's nostrils.

Sneezing it away with a puff of flame, he spoke. "Something shady's been doing on around here."

"What do you mean?"

"You heard about our food shortage at the Academy, right? Not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but this is one of the places where we're supposed to get our shipments. It wasn't too long ago that those shipments went dry, nothing coming in at all."

"Maybe they've just had a lot of trouble with customers. A lot of people come to eat here…"

"You'd think, but they haven't been accepting customers for weeks now. Our guys have been asking questions to figure out what's going on but the cooks and owners aren't squealing. Methinks there's a mystery afoot!"

If there was any time to tell the truth, about the kids and the Traptanium, it was now. Before they walked into what may well be a dragon's den. "Spyro, I need to tell you-"

"Time for talk is over. There's butts that need kicking!"

"But… we, I…. this is important."

Spyro shook him by the shoulders, burning his voice away. "Look, we already had this pep talk. This is what's going to get us both out of here. Now put on your big boy britches, toughen up, and let's bust out some sweet justice!"

"You're the only one who's getting busted."

Both cringed as though they'd been stabbed. They turned slowly fighting the urge to raise their hands like they were the criminals. There were the two kids that Cody had brought along and it seems they'd made new friends. With them were two faces he'd preferred to wait a good while before seeing again. Stealth Elf and Eruptor.

* * *

 **Okay that wraps this one up. I am a little disappointed, because I was hoping to get two chapters done this week to shorten my schedule. Maybe next week I'll be able to pull that off.**

 **The truth is I have set a much bigger goal for myself. Next year I am considering finally writing my own original work. My progress was likely stopped because I was brainstorming and coming up with ideas for my new stuff. Some parts are a little cliché, but I am continuing to draw inspiration. I'll see about letting certain ideas marinate over time, because right now I am considering ideas related to worldbuilding. I'll probably tackle other areas too in the meantime.**

 **Anyway, our heroes are in hot water, from two new faces in the Skylands to two familiar faces staring them down. First day on the job and they're already caught. They're not very good at stealth. But by now I think any real Skylanders fans know who's coming up.**

 **More on that later. On to the reviews:**

 **Crazyloop8888** **: Yeah, it's a sad truth that bullying is a part of school life. Then again, Dreamcatcher is no fit for the hero life and loves to cause trouble. As for Spyro, well, it's easy to imagine his predicament. Spending his entire life being told he was destined for greatness. It's only natural it would cause as much insecurity as much as it would inflate his head. After all, if he's not the special hero Eon says he is, then who is he?**

 **Bookwriter94** **: IT was kind of a disaster for both Cody and Spyro. I think it was important to really enforce the feeling that they are on their own and make those false ideas in their heads throb. It makes the payload of what happens in the future all the sweeter.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: In this story Dreamcatcher is still a student at Skylander Academy, just as she first appeared in the show. That doesn't mean she's a good guy, though, as you clearly saw.**

 **Snake screamer** **: We all have one of those days.**

 **Challishanlon99** **: Well, thank you for your interest. And don't sell yourself short because you have special needs. I'm sure there are lots of people who want to be your friend. I don't mind being yours. Enjoy this new chapter.**

 **The next chapter sees some much needed action. Be sure to catch it. As always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	17. Taste of Trouble

Of all the possible things that could have gone wrong, of anything that could have happened at all, this. He had to have been cursed somehow.

Stealth Elf and Eruptor were there with gazes that could have melted steel and froze fire. The dragon felt those familiar chains shackling him to the ground but held it fast. He may have been caught but he wasn't about to back down and leave them with satisfaction red-handed. He wouldn't even let them have the thought of success.

He gave that old, charismatic smile. "Yo, Elf, Big E! Fancy meeting you guys here! I was taking Cody out for a bite, maybe make up for that tour business a while back."

"Drop the act, Spyro." Stealth Elf said. "We know you've been looking into this place hoping to find the Doom Raiders."

"Yeah, you're not here for steak. You're here for a steak out!" Eruptor added.

"What!? I am shocked that you would point your fingers/stubs at me over something like that. You got any proof?"

"How about the piles of paper clippings and photos in your room? I know because you snatched them out of my room!"

"So those were yours?" Spyro mused. "Hm, hello pot, meet my pal kettle."

Elf groaned. "Aside from that, do either of you want to tell me how two more humans got here? We saw them hanging around the front of the Academy and they told us you two flew off to Ancients know where. I don't know if I'd just call it a lucky guess or predictable that I figured you were here!"

"It's my fault…" Cody confessed. Though really, who else could it have been?

Cody explained the situation of the two new humans, how good intentions led to what was in the kindest terms, a disaster. Spyro had to admit, it was gutsy of the kid to make a move to rescue the princess from her own bodyguards, if not a little misinformed. A true fighter trusted his instincts, a lesson of Eon's he admitted he could get into his head. There might have been a rebel's soul in that timid seashell after all.

Elf and Eruptor's sympathetic looks rubbed him the wrong way, though. The other children turned more sympathetic looks towards him as well. One ashamed look and everyone in the Skylands could give him a free pass. No one gave him that sort of kindness after he'd gotten his claws dirty, he vented with steam from his nostrils.

Eruptor turned to Spyro with cracks in his rock body simmering. "Well, at least one of you has the stones to fess up."

Spyro growled. With a burst of his wings he flew off into an open window of the restaurant. He spared no word or glance for anyone in the group.

"Spyro!" Elf cried. "Oh, come on!"

"Cody, a word of advice – you need to keep that dragon on a tight leash." Eruptor pointed. "By some miracle, he'll stop flirting with his own reflection and listen to you!"

"…It's fine." Cody said sullen. "We're just… doing what we need to."

* * *

The room was hot, with air screaming for escape. The only light was from the dim cauldrons of vile gruel lit by the concentrated flames beneath the grated floor. Pepper Jack stirred the ladle of one pot, turning the slop and abundance of peppers, berries, vegetables, and whatever else he had thrown in. He wafted his mitted hand over the cauldron, taking in the aroma of his concoction and exhaled in pride.

Kaos wandered over and did the same, but nearly choked on the smell. Glumshanks was the wiser and stood by. "A… scrumptious serving as always, Chef Pepper Jack."

The pepper-headed chef threw a handful of items into the bowl and stirred on as the food bubbled. "See here boy, I don't need no third-rate critique from some third-rate villain like yourself. My dish is magnifique!"

"Heh, of course… I just wondered if I could trouble you for a taste?"

"You keep interrupting me and you gonna get a good mouthful," he gave Kaos the evil eye. "This here recipe is gon' give a good handful o' Skylanders tummy troubles like they ain't never got before!"

"I myself could go without, as described, tummy troubles." Glumshanks pointed. "My palate is preferential to the finer cuisine in life if I may so boldly insist."

"Keep talking, troll, and you're going in the pot. I hear trolls are a delicacy in certain parts of the Skylands."

Kaos pushed Glumshanks off the rails and into the fire. The troll's screams echoed throughout the dimly-lit kitchen. "Anyhoo, Chef. You've been running this little incognito cooking operation for a while now. It won't be long before the Skylanders get suspicious and send a team to investigate. So, if I could offer a hand to maybe speed this along."

"You wanna lend a hand?" Pepper Jack growled. "Just put it on the board and I'll hack it right in. Make my time-bomb chili good and rancid. You wanna keep your hand? Stop yakking and let me finish my meal!"

"Uh…" Kaos had paled clutching his hand. "Of course, Chef. I'll leave you to finish your… dish."

The evil Portal Master backed away, his robe melting into the shadows of the background as if returning there. He moved around the corner, out of sight from the Doom Raider, though he wouldn't have noticed. Glumshanks, his green skin burnt to a crisp and hairs still aflame, was there at his side.

"Well, this is all going, dare I say it, delicious, Glummy!" Kaos tapped his fingers. "Pepper Jack won't let us assist, but at the very least, he will be assisting me."

"Wonderful, sir… my stomach aches with anticipation. Or something in me aches."

It wasn't seen in the dark when he pulled it from his robe, but the spell book appeared within the dark when it glowed a dark red. The glow wavered, almost with a hunger of its own. It would be fed soon enough.

* * *

Inside the zeppelin was a blaze of light and high-temperature, danger never having dressed so elegant. Pepper-shaped bulbs along the red velvet walls and pepper chandeliers gave the impression of the room being on fire. Pipes and vents along the room were made décor when wrapped in vines of spicy-scented wildflowers. The view of a thousand-foot drop into oblivion was stunning. Spyro had to admit, villainy never had style on this level.

Even the other kids were impressed. The girl in the fancy dress stepped forward with her head somewhat back on straight. "…I have to admit, the ambiance here is impressive. It reminds me of the restaurants mother takes us for lunch."

"It's fancy-shmancy! Let's get lunch!" The frizzy-haired kid spoke.

Compared to the Academy's slop it would have been nice to eat something his stomach could process. Yet the room was abandoned, or so it looked. The hiss of steam and rumblings from the kitchen suggested otherwise.

The group walked past the sheeted tables towards the double doors of the kitchen. "Something's not right." Elf said. "Is anyone here?"

A head popped out from the window by the doors. Everyone jumped, and the head did the same.

"Okay, not what I'd consider a usual reaction to customers…" Spyro muttered.

All at once the tables flipped over and Greebles emerged like frogs from the muck. The girl screamed and tripped over herself, while the frizzy kid went down in the opposite direction. The other Skylanders went to action and guarded them at both sides, Cody doing his best in following.

"Great! Two seconds with the flying hero-complex and we get ambushed by Greebles! What an afternoon!" Eruptor moaned.

"No time for griping!" Elf spun her blades. "Remember your training!"

"Training?" Cody gulped. "What training? I don't have any training!"

"Just do what you did before and cover us with your shields. On my signal we move – ready and-"

The room exploded in orange fire before Elf's reflexes could trigger. Spyro's stream of fire was burning the velvet and Greebles' skins black. The dragon took in a healthy breath as their would-be attackers hopped away on any limbs that had survived the torrent of fire. He expected impressed fawning for his two-second victory; that wasn't what he got.

Cody rubbed his sleeve helping his human classmates to their feet. "Well… at least the Greebles are taken care of…"

"You're welcome!"

Elf face-palmed. "Moving on, it's pretty obvious there's something going on – this place has a pretty serious 'No Greebles' policy. We should check to see if the chefs are okay."

Stepping through the doors, it was clear to see Stealth Elf's concern. The kitchen yanked away the sheen of the dining hall and gave the impression of some factory for hazardous waste. The chefs, sweating in their unwashed smocks poured spices into bowls of something that glowed with the hue of toxic. Pipes and valves oozed waste that ate holes in the floor. The team stayed clear as the chefs rushed like rats for fear their food could eat through skin and scale.

The frizzy kid, Pablo as Cody called him, took a whiff of the bowl as it rushed past. The effect was instantaneous. He choked and gagged gasping for air as he hit the wall like he had went through an ulcer and a heart attack all in one. Even the smell of that stuff was deadly.

"What…" he coughed with teary eyes. "What is that stuff!? Is it even legal to classify it as food!? What kind of… sick monster… would do this to an innocent… bowl of… CHILI!"

"CHILI!?" Everyone yelled.

"Hold on there, kiddo. You're telling me that stuff is supposed to be chili!?" Eruptor gasped in a similar level of shock.

"Qui…" a Mabu chef in the corner whimpered. "It is Master Pepper Jack's secret recipe."

"So I was right!" Spyro cheered for himself with a pound of his fists. "Pepper Jack is behind this!"

"Yeah, you figured it out with my research," Elf spoke. "So really, you could say I was right."

"This zeppelin used to belong to Master Pepper Jack, back when he first cooked for the joy of cooking." The Mabu explained. "We should have guessed he would come to reclaim it after he turned to evil and became one of the Doom Raiders. He came to us weeks ago and locked us away here in the kitchen, forcing us to complete his ultimate recipe to destroy the Skylanders…"

"That demonio!" Pablo grabbed the Mabu by the shoulders shocking him stiff. "I can't forgive anyone who uses food as a weapon!"

"Pablo." Cody held him back and turned to the Mabu. "What is this recipe he's forcing you to make?"

"He calls it his Phoenix Bomb Chili, made from the eggs of the Phoenix Chicken only laid once a year. He plans to use it to render the Skylanders helpless, destroying them from the inside-out."

"Not if this Skylander can help it!" Spyro took to the air. "Time for Chef Pepper Jack to get a nice hot serving of justice!"

"I hate to let a good serving of justice go cold – I mean seriously, cold food is a crime against nature!" Eruptor dragged him down by the tail. "But in case you haven't noticed we got a kitchen full of Mabu chefs we got to help before we make the oh-so-smart decision of fighting another Doom Raider. And that didn't go so well the first time if you recall!"

"Sure, it did. I mean, yeah, was a little touch and go for a second there but I just chalk that up to a little loss of mojo. I got everything handled here, right Code?"

Cody snapped to attention wavering glances between Spyro and the floor. "Uh… yeah. It's fine…"

"See? No worries!"

"Cody, are you seriously gonna let this scaly hot air balloon walk all over you!?" Eruptor growled at the boy who started to go pale. "We nearly got our magma spewed out! I'd rather not let it happen again!"

"I-It's okay. Spyro… doesn't need my-our, our help. He doesn't need help from…"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have to agree with the… rock creature," Katelyn walked up to him. What was with everybody doubting his capability? At least Cody could set them straight, though he was running out of words to do it with, from the looks of things.

"Eruptor's right, it was dangerous. Maybe if we had just… left it to Spyro in the first place…."

"He'd be Chompy feed!" Eruptor shouted.

"More like his Chompies would have been kindling!" The dragon countered. "Like I said, mojo counts for everything."

"The boy who tried to help me escape my suitors because he thought I was in danger didn't leave it to someone else." Katelyn walked up to the boy. "It didn't work out, but your intentions were clearly good. I won't pretend to understand what's going on. However, your friend here really does need help, and you can't just let him fly into some insane villain's clutches with your only confidence on his word."

Cody tried to spit something out; Spyro hoped he would. At least someone here shouldn't have to doubt him. Instead the boy's throat had gone dry with no defense left. Spyro scoffed.

"Great, I'm being dissed by humans now. Fine, I'll just have to give a little demonstration!" The dragon flew out the doors into the hall. "One Doom Raider, hold the mustard!"

Cody took steps after him but stopped at the entrance. Again, he had nothing to say.

"That cocky, stuck-up, self-obsessed scale bag!" Eruptor blew a fountain of lava overhead. "Code, I'm pretty sure when Master Eon stuck you two together it was so you could give that guy a much-needed wake -up slap! For once I just wish somebody would drag him by the horn and stop him from kissing his own butt!"

"Not how I would have put it, but Eruptor does have a point Cody." Elf's hand touched the boy's shoulder as he looked ready to cry. "Spyro's going to need you to reign in his worst instincts. That's part of what a friend is supposed to do."

Cody only huddled further into himself. "… There's nothing I can do."

* * *

The hallway with cooks trudging in chains was just another obstacle course. Dodging past them was second nature, so Spyro didn't need to worry. Defeating their captor would be rescue enough.

He reached the end of the hall with door opening to the main kitchen. The stove grids were so large a plate to fit them would be enough to feed an entire island. Flame and heat erupted from beneath enough to give his scales the feel of melting over one another. The chili looked closer to magma as it drooled from vats along the walls into the blazing pits below. Sparks stung at his eyes as they exploded into life as though something would crawl from the pot.

"Gah!" Spyro choked with a newfound sympathy over Pablo's reaction. "That is… yep. That's a visual to give you stomach cramps…"

"Bah! Y'all just can't tell good cookin' when y'all sees it!"

The Doom Raider stomped out stroking his stem beard with a mitted hand. He waved the ladle in his other towards the dragon. "Not one Skylander's ever turned down chili, 'specially my chili!"

"Pepper Jack chili good!"

Both turned to the bubbling blob with a mouth and crown in the corner. By some mystery, the heat didn't faze him as he swallowed a bowl of chili and a bottle of soda to join the apparent other twenty. He kept his crown straight as the straw for the bottle went in between his gapped teeth.

"Seriously!? Gulper too?" Spyro yelled.

"Gulper here's just around for a taste of the good life. You know, boy, people used ta come from miles and miles to get a taste of my cookin.' You Skylanders think you got taste buds too good for my gruel?"

"The only thing that's leaving a good taste in my mouth is two Doom Raiders for the price of one!"

Spyro charged spiraling with a barrage of fireballs. Pepper Jack reached for his pack, revealing or almost materializing a missile launcher. It fired peppers towards the fireballs, detonating in bursts that shook the room. The dragon arced wide though still was knocked back by the force of the bombs.

He wavered in air but steadied himself with another blast of fire. The chef's launcher swung with an arc of pepper blasts resulting in the same. Spyro was flung back to burning metal as his feet touched the grates.

"Release the chili!"

Giant bowls with a sinister steam came out of the shadows. With the chef's signal they tipped over with falls of poisoned chili into a large vat behind the Doom Raider. It was far worse than the last batch as the stench made Spyro want to rip his own nostrils out. Pepper Jack had found his opening; with his launcher hooked up he fired a stream of chili.

Straight into the dragon's mouth.

It felt like acid was burning at his insides, his bones and intestines corroding. His stomach endured rammings front and back with the weight of an exploding airship. His systems failing, the dragon coughed and gagged as the chili dripped from his mouth. He tipped over with coughs more violent, writhing in pain, unleashing fire at every wheeze. Each blast it the walls, floors, and ceiling with no control and force like dynamite.

In his darkening vision he caught the others reaching the entrance to see him in his sorry state.

"Spyro!" Someone cried, though he couldn't tell the voice.

"Well, well. Looks like we got more customers!" Pepper Jack gloated. "Bon Appetit, Skylanders!"

"Villainy's not on the menu, freak!" Eruptor cried. The two combatants fired magma and chili, the blasts colliding in flame and smoke.

"Spyro!" The dragon heard Cody's voice over his curled-up form. His soft touch smoothed his scales and a purple light formed as Cody triggered his shield. He turned to the other humans who gaped at his use of magic. "You guys need to stay back. It's too dangerous to be in here right now."

Pablo was the first to shake out of his stupor. "No way am I going to let this monstroso get away with using cooking to hurt people! That goes against Pablo's Ten Commandments of Cooking!"

He marched forward, but Katelyn pulled him back. "Are you crazy!? There's nothing we can do here!"

"This is my fault…" Cody muttered. "I brought you two here. How could I possibly think this place was safe – if anything it's worse! I've ruined everything again…

Peppers rained from above blinking. Stealth Elf leapt and sliced three open, warping away before they could burst. Eruptor followed suit with fireballs colliding with pinpoint marks. Any left his Cody's shield, the boy's hand trembling with the shocks. The kids ducked back as it closed in, but with heavy breaths Cody kept it still.

The pepper onslaught came in double. Cody raised his other hand expanding his barrier, explosions racking it like an upset stomach at every other second.

"You heard the Portal Master!" Eruptor shouted. "You guys got to get out of here!"

"Abuela always says cooking comes from the heart, but all your chili does is give people heart attacks!" Pablo yelled up towards Pepper Jack. "How can you call yourself a chef if you serve food that has no pasión, no corazón, no flippity floppin' taste!?"

"Ha! My chili don't need none of that junk!" Pepper Jack cackled. "I just need food to get me what I want, an' that's these Skylanders and their little Academy wiped off the map!"

"If that's the case, then… your cooking is absolutely, totally, positively, undeniably, for sure 100% with all truth and factual evidence that can possibly exist in the universe since the dawn and until the end of time… YUCKY!"

"Wha…!?"

That had gotten the Doom Raider off guard. Any chef, on Earth or in the Skylands, probably had pride in their craft. To hear his food dismissed so mercilessly, if not childishly, was like a slap to the face. Pepper Jack trembled in rage, his scowl tearing his large head as he pointed his bazooka steaming and locked onto the frizzy-haired boy.

"You got some big mouth, boy!" Pepper Jack yelled. "You just keep it open wide, so's I can stuff it full o' peppers!"

"Kid, look out!" Eruptor yelled.

The launcher boomed, a single pepper hurtling towards them with the force of a meteor. Pablo rushed out of the safe zone locked on the projectile. In near slow-motion he took a leap.

"For love, justice, honor… and GUACAMOLE!"

The pepper landed in his mouth. And he swallowed. The blast shook the very room.

"PABLO!" Cody cried.

For a few moments that stretched with ache, there was silence. Smoke covered the room with no sign of the frizzy-haired boy who had by all appearances been blown to pieces. The Skylanders and humans stared in horror waiting for the sight. But to everyone's surprise, a flash of red appeared. More and more, the flashes swirled with hyperactive energy.

The dust had settled, and there was Pablo, still intact. His body and hands were lit with a blaze of red light. There was no explanation other than… magic.


	18. Taking A Stand

A crimson, human-shaped glow stood between the Skylanders and Portal Masters. Both sides stared on in shock. The same goofy boy who couldn't stop going on about food, awakened to magic.

"Leeet's get COOKING!"

Pablo snapped his fingers in a rhythmic beat. Sparks of light came from his fingers, doubling with every snap. In time with the beat came pops of small fireworks bursting on the floor. The Doom Raider danced around them with no sense of what came next. A large blast came between his feet sending him flying.

Cody gaped, without words not for the first time in this world. Pablo was a Portal Master, he'd cast magic that fended back a Doom Raider – there was no wrapping his head around it no matter how many times he'd tried to process it with the existence of his own magic. Eon had told him it was anyone's guess as to what made a Portal Master. A strong sense of justice or passion for something they treasured if they'd even had the potential to start.

Pablo was deeply angered by Pepper Jack's use of food. Somewhere past all that spicy energy and large appetite was an honest love for cooking. Something strong enough to make him put his foot down at the dark side.

The feeling of scales shifted between his hands. Spyro, still weak and in his arms, shifted and groaned.

Katelyn, in the corner, was just as in shock. "You're some kind of wizard as well? H-How is this happening?"

Pablo slipped back to his silly self in an instant. "Hm, I dunno? All I remember is I swallowed a reeeaaally spicy chili pepper and then BAM! Super Pablo al rescate!"

"Oh, you best save your fancy words for dinner, boy!" Pepper Jack was up and aiming his launcher right at the boy. "An' you an' your Skylander chums are the main course!"

The peppers came out like rockets burning from the stems, their tips aimed right at Pablo.

"Don't go serving that weak sauce!"

Eruptor leapt into action and countered with his own volley of fireballs. The ceiling became lit with the explosive collisions and rain of embers afterward.

The rock creature turned to Pablo. "Hey, kid! Feel like dishin' out some real justice. Let's show ol' Pepper Jack how to really bring the heat!"

"I like the way you think you big ol' whatever the heck you are!"

Pepper Jack launched himself back to his kitchen and swiped his shelves bare of their contents. He jammed them into the butt of his launcher and fired back out. It was a firestorm of spicy foods: peppers, dumpling, chicken wings, curry bombs, hot and bursting into flame the moment they touched air. Touching ground caused complete incineration in a messy blast of spice and sparks.

The two gave a near perfect response as their timed attacks released a fiery burst that knocked out the first wave. Their attacks spread, fireballs and fireworks knocking each attack out. Their force shook the room leaving the others balancing over the grates and ducking for cover. It was a great display of force but the control of it all was in question.

It nonetheless did the job as Pepper Jack's attacks went on with the same result. A fire spell reducing them to ash before even making the journey down.

Spyro's wings were already in motion in Cody's weakening grasp. "All right, break time's over. I'm the one who should be starting firework shows."

"Wait, you can't!"

"You know, I'm getting a little tired of people saying that to me." The dragon shot him a glare.

"Well this time, we seriously mean it," Elf spoke from their sides. "That chili did a number on your insides, so unless we want to see what a second dosage might do, you better stay down."

"We shouldn't have come here, Spyro." Cody muttered. He knew as much all along but said nothing. Stealth Elf and Eruptor cautioned him as much but he was useless even in that regard. The numbness in his limbs allowed the dragon to snake free from him, giving the boy a good look at his partner's angry face. "This is just… beyond us."

"Beyond you, probably. But it's gonna take more than some overgrown weed and his acid chili to keep this Skylander down."

"Stealth Elf and Eruptor were right, we were lucky with Chompy Mage. We can't push our luck like that again."

"I don't need luck. All I need's one good shot!"

"Do you want me to say it? Fine! I can't do this!"

"I can do this, so let me-"

"WILL YOU SHUT YOUR STINKING SNOUT!" Spyro turned and came face to heat with a burst of lava sending him into the wall. He survived, though his scales were hissing with steam and smoke. The source, Eruptor, was near blinding with the surge of light from between his cracks. All Cody and Elf could see was a twitching eye and a jaw ready to tear the dragon's head off.

"YOU AIN'T PULLING ANY MORE HALF-BRAINED MOVES! YOU'RE GONNA SIT THERE AND KEEP YOUR WINGS DOWN AND YOUR YAP SHUT! OR SO HELP ME, I WILL BLAST YOU INTO NEXT SEMESTER'S FIRST ERUPTION! YOU GOT THAT!?"

Spyro coughed and spit out a wad of magma. "Uh… gotcha…"

Katelyn blinked from the corner. "That might have been a tad… excessive."

"Forget that!" Eruptor turned to the shaking boy huddled into himself. "So what's the plan. Cody?"

"The… plan?"

"Look it was your plan that scored us the win against that freak Chompy Mage. You gotta have something that'll help us beat Pepper Jack too!"

"I-I don't…"

"Yes you do!" Elf piped up next to him. "Look, Master Eon chose you for a reason! It's time you stopped telling yourself you can't and start telling yourself you can!"

Do what you can… his mother's words came to him again. It was a blast of cold lightning that brought his grounded limbs to life. He faced forward, eyes darting, looking for something.

"I hate to break up a dang-nasty motivational speech on top o' your usual goody-goody antics," Pepper Jack raised his arms. "But I gots a dish to make!"

From above their heads came a glow like the sun, almost enraged in its wisps of heat. An egg the size of a small house, nestled in light and flame was suspended from cables turning red from the touch. It hovered and teetered over a vat of chili, the concoction bubbling beneath its surface. The group stared on as it lowered, blazing at the first touch of the liquid in rejection. Cody blinked; the last ingredient for the chili.

The ingredient.

"That's it… that's it!" Cody stammered. "The ingredients. He needs that egg to complete the chili, but what if we changed the recipe? Add more things?"

"Yeah, I really don't think that rank could taste any worse…" Spyro moved back still clutching his stomach.

"But we can make it better. We can change the chili, s-so it isn't harmful, maybe it can even help us!" Cody turned to the newest Portal Master. "Pablo, do you think you can help me make a new dish?"

"Does sopapilla and tres leches make the perfect dessert combination!?"

"Um…"

"The answer's yes!"

"Sounds like we got a plan." Elf twirled her blades behind her. "What do you need us to do?"

Atop the vats was where the young heroes' plan was set into motion. A puff of green flashed as Elf and Pablo moved along the upper grates towards the vats of chili pumping back and forth between themselves and the main vats. The ninja had a bag of vegetables and spices over her shoulder as the frizzy-haired boy leapt onto the rim of the vat grinning madly. He held bottles of liquids in both hands breathing in the steam.

"Let's get cooking!"

Back below ground Pepper Jack had hardly noticed the shortage of Skylanders as he emptied his stock of supplies as arsenal towards those who remained. Cody weathered the blasts with his shield as Eruptor and Spyro were at his sides with streams of fire as a counter. A line of blasts blurred vision and accuracy between both sides.

"Just a little more time…"

Pepper Jack growled. "Time's up! Let's see how my super-catastrophe chili turned out, shall we?"

Plugging his launcher to the vat above, the cables holding the egg snapped. Though as it fell, a bite of green appeared by the orange hue knocking the egg away. Stealth Elf landed on the rim staring triumphantly down at the Doom Raider. Pepper Jack scowled madly and turned back to the remaining three.

"I'll fix that later! My chili's still strong enough to knock you out but good!" He fired, the stream aimed this time for Eruptor. Gallons of the rancid food poured into his mouth.

"Eruptor!" Everyone screamed.

The rock creature stopped, braced in his spot. He didn't move or speak. Pepper Jack grinned with a stroke of his beard.

Until…

"That… is some GOOD EATIN'!" Eruptor stood with a brilliant glow. His stubs shone like sunlight.

He aimed his stubs and unleashed a gale of fire, flames upon flames in a never-ending blast. Pepper Jack was blown to the wall, his screams muffled by the blaze. Surrounding metal melted into mush and the vats crashed into each other, machinery fell into the ground, a shower of pipes and tanks upon one another.

In the center, once the blast was done, was Pepper Jack. His red surface burnt black, he collapsed.

"Raise your spoons, fellow chefs!" Pablo stood knee forward on the wreckage. "Somos los reyes de la cocina!"

The group raised their arms and cheered in triumph. Elf and Eruptor huddled around the two Portal Masters for their victory; between Cody's strategy and Pablo's new powers there was celebration in the air like the scent of the admittedly tasty chili. The boy was surprised at how it took such a turnaround after Spyro's reaction.

Speaking of Spyro, the dragon was away from the group. Wings down and head drooped, Cody felt a near barrier between him and everyone else. He stepped with caution with a hand to his arm.

"Spyro… um…"

The dragon huffed. Cody startled and stepped back. They remained in the pause of the moment, Cody worried that the dragon may bite off his head.

"…Right." He sighed. He reached for his pack and, out of the others' sights, pulled a crystal from the case. "I'll just…"

"AAAAAAHHH!"

* * *

Katelyn's shriek blew away the heat, only for it to go cold as the Skylanders turned. The girl was now in the slimy grip of Gulper, the giant blob. How in two worlds' names they could have missed a creature like that sneaking up behind them was beyond anyone's guess.

"You beat Pepper Jack!" The blob growled. "That mean no more soda! Gulper want soda!"

"Let go of me, you-you thing!" Katelyn cried.

"Hold on!" Stealth Elf aimed her blades. "This creep's got nothing!"

"That right! Gulper got nothing! Gulper want soda! SODA!"

Gulper slithered out the door when they came. His bellows echoed from the hall joined by the screams of any victims caught in the wake of his quest for the fizzy drink. They followed to find the blob tearing over tables and throwing machines out the window. The floor became a labyrinth of turned-over tables, wood and metal bits and broken glass.

Stealth Elf dodged over every piece, a perfect finger and toe landing on every space in between. She landed atop a table's edge to see the chefs running in circles as Gulper tore on. She shouted at her highest volume.

"Everyone, remain calm! Head for the exit, find shelter, and contact the Skylanders!" She pointed to the open doors. "We'll keep Gulper occupied as long as we can until backup arrives!"

"Who needs backup!?"

Spyro took the charge as though Pepper Jack's punishment wasn't enough. He took in a breath and launched a fireball into the body of the beast. There was a hiss of steam loud enough to wake the dead, but as the smog cleared, nothing.

"Nice, Spyro!" Eruptor shouted. "What do you got next, nasty nicknames?"

"Never underestimate the power of a nasty nickname," Pablo finger-wagged. "I think my yucky thing got that pepper-head really steamed… Ooh, steamed pepper!"

"Everyone, I believe he's found the beverages!"

Katelyn's guess was correct as Gulper continued his rampage into the kitchen. He was quick to reduce it to much the same way as the dining hall, stoves overturned and pots flying. He smiled opening a back door to a room filled with kegs of every beverage, dripping tantalizing liquid that made him lick his lips.

"This is bad, this is really bad!" Elf said.

A few moments was all the Doom Raider blob needed to devour every last drop in the room. Heavy tremors rumbled throughout the zeppelin almost rocking with a heavy dose of liquid. The walls crumbled, bits falling atop their heads, and soon entire cucks crashed to the floor. From the doorway to the kitchen, a massive watery hand coated in barnacles reached out, barely missing them. It crashed through the main entrance and into the town.

Gulper's watery body broke through the open windows and cracks. As the team ran out, they saw the ship cracked in two as the Doom Raider emerged twice its size. Katelyn, still in his grip, was just barely visible with her head sticking above his fingers. The rest of her body was submerged in his watery girth.

"Katelyn!" Cody cried.

Mabus in the city screamed and ran away. The monster roared with his gassy breath sending stragglers flying.

"I saw a movie like this once!" Pablo cried. "There was a skyscraper, airplanes, and there may or may not been a huge bushel of bananas as a peace offering."

"I don't think she can survive in there for long!" Elf cried. "We got to bring him down, no peace offerings!"

"Gulper still thirsty! Want more soda!"

Water pooled from his free hand and hardened, taking color and form as a jewel-encrusted trident. He hurled it down upon the Skylanders. Its tip stopped short if its target as Cody's shield pushed it back, the force like a waterfall with endless pressure pushing him to his knees.

The Skylanders attacked in full force, blasting every inch of the blob's body. Steam hissed and the blob wavered, but three waves of fire and explosions meant nothing upon a near endless-volume of water. Stealth Elf leapt atop debris slashing with her blades, but had no greater effect than splashing in the water. She warped over every inch as the others did making her way up his body to the ceiling of a nearby building. The elven ninja turned to the girl still in his grip.

"Katelyn! Don't worry, everything's going to be fine!"

"It doesn't seem very fine from where I'm standing!" She screamed. "I did want to get away from my suitors but I never imagined but to think it would lead to being in the grip of a soda-crazed monster!"

"You're going to be all right! We'll find a way to take this guy down and save you!"

She struggled and weaved in the blob's hand. She sighed in defeat.

"… Don't."

Elf blinked her empty eyes. "What?"

"Why are you even bothering at all? You have no reason to help me. We aren't friends, we aren't even acquaintances. I know nothing more than your name in the half an afternoon I've spent here."

"That doesn't matter!" She ran to the edge of the rooftop. "Skylanders always help those in need, friends or not!"

"I've been taught to think of others in the same way, yet all I do is smile, nod and wave to answer them." The young heiress looked away. "Saving me now will give you nothing. Just protect the townspeople..."

Gulper turned to the two girls with a scowl. "You noisy! Gulper want soda, but Gulper can settle on something else!"

The blob raised his hand and tossed the girl in. Her screams were drowned as she fell into the literal belly of the beast.

"Katelyn!"

Cody watched the entire trade to the moment she began to drown in Gulper's stomach. That old weak knees feeling came to him again. Katelyn let pride keep her from being saved, something he couldn't understand, and yet, in his heart of hearts, he did. A dark whisper from somewhere within that some things were beyond saving. The boy blocked it out as the Doom Raider's trident came with another push.

Blinking, he saw Elf warping to Gulper's stomach slashing and tearing into the water. Her blades waded only inches into the depth before waved pooled and reformed at the slashes. She popped again and again, her slashes and form lost in the abundance of green smoke.

She jammed her blades into his belly. "Katelyn! Just hold on! Hold on!"

The girl didn't open her eyes. She gave no sign of acknowledgement.

Elf and Cody could both see it from where they stood. Two different points and yet they saw the same vision of a dignified young lady who held her head high as some martyr. She was able to stand on her own two feet and make her own decisions no matter what a fluffy dress and perfectly-styled hair suggested of her. There was no spite or arrogance in her words, no recklessness in how she slapped away a savior's hand. She was resigned to her fate.

That was something Cody, who spent five years in a cold house all by himself, understood. The fact that his life was his to do with as he pleased.

Elf understood as well, though she had a much different response. "All right then. Save yourself."

The girl understood those words. Her eyes opened, an with them came a twinkle of green.

"GULPER WANT… huh!?"

The blue pools inside his stomach glowed a turquoise then to a full green. Beams rippled and burst out, spotlights towards the ends of the sky. The girl in the center floated to the edge, emerging as if from a shallow pool. Magic lifted her body almost possessive as she turned to the Doom Raider.

"Gulper want soda! Gulper want food! Gulper want-"

"Quiet."

She slapped her hand. A wave of green magic emerged with glowing petals in its wake knocking the behemoth blob to the ground. His crash knocked several buildings over.

The girl returned to the earth. As if woken from a trance, she looked to her hands. "What? How did I-"

Elf appeared beside her. "That makes three."

In that moment, Katelyn gave no sign she'd heard the elf's words. However, a small smile crossed her face as she stared on at her hands. They seemed capable of so much more now.

Cody and the others joined them. He looked at her as if it was a different person, worlds apart from that sense of relation a minute ago. Croaks were all that came from his throat.

Spyro hopped in. "Okay, girl power or whatever. There's still big and ugly over there."

"I think he's had a little too much to eat today," Katelyn spoke. "Frankly he's shown terrible manners as well."

"Normally I'd say too much food is imposible, but I'll make an exception this time!" Pablo added.

"So what say we give this uninvited dinner guest the boot?" Stealth Elf said.

"Let's do it!" Eruptor finished.

The four made two teams charged as one and scattered as Gulper bared his trident. Katelyn slapped and pushed it aside with a crescent of petals. Eruptor rocketed himself and Pablo over to the blob's right and the two fired on his wrist. The barnacles on it shattered and the Gulper roared dropping his trident. Katelyn and Elf warped from point to point and the girl spun with another wave, the force blasting her elven partner up. The magic stung the blob as Elf landed a direct cut on his face.

From both sides they charged, magic and fire and slashes merging into two simultaneous blasts. They pressed at Gulper's sides, squeezing him and forcing his contents up to his stomach. Like a fountain, Gulper spat out the gallons of soda he'd ingested. It rained upon the wrecked town as the Doom Raider shrunk to an englarged weed.

"All Gulper wanted…" he wheezed, "…was some soda."

A roar of engines and whirring of blades came. The Skylanders and Gulper all turned to see a fleet of stylized vehicles approaching from the air. Some had wheels of fire or hulls of bones, and some had scythe-like blades or rotating spikes. The common link between all was a Skylander at the helm and missiles aimed and fired. They all entered the blob's maw diving into his stomach. In a chain they exploded, rocking the blob towards the edge of the island.

Just as Gulper fell, Cody ran. Short of breath from battle and fumbling among his pack's contents, he'd just managed to grab the right crystal. The blue glow emerged and swirled around Gulper just as he tipped over.

As the light cleared, he was no more.

He breathed in relief. "That was too close…"

Spyro was at his side staring at the crystal. For whatever reason, the dragon had a less than satisfied look on his face.

"Perhaps you'd like to share with all of us how close?"

The group turned to the stern face and pointed beak of Jet-Vac and the other Skylanders. They had settled their vehicles amongst the gathered crowd and were staring pointedly at the group. The bird-man's foot tapped impatiently.

Cody gulped.

.

From a nearby alley between two wrecked buildings, Kaos emerged from a trash can. He hopped out as Glumshanks crawled out with his master's boot prints over him. The evil Portal Master chuckled darkly as he pulled the book from his robe.

"It's true, Glumshanks! My theory has been proven true."

"You were actually right about something?" Glumshanks set the lid on and dusted himself. "I'll be sure to alert the media."

The book in Kaos's hands glowed, a mix of blue and red upon its front cover. His eyes reflected the swirl of magic with a power-hungry glow. His smile grew more crooked.

Glumshanks stepped behind him, oblivious. "So what now?"

"Patience my good troll. Everything is going according to plan."

* * *

 **Okay, that wraps this one up. I jammed as much as I could into it for your satisfaction.**

 **As many of you predicted, we have two new Portal Masters and their partners on hand. For their first time out this team did pretty good. Cody and Spyro however got a bit of a kick in the confidence, as if Cody needed any less of that. As for Kaos, he's got a bit of trouble brewing himself. Who knows what any of it will lead to.**

 **Sorry I wasn't able to do an author's note last chapter. I got myself all turned around last week having done two chapters in the same week. This was written and completed by last Saturday, and by then I hadn't even noticed it was so late when I posted the last one. My schedule was completely out of whack.**

 **Anyway, by the time of this chapter's posting, the next should be done as well. That will be posted the following Saturday. This is probably for the better so I can get this story completed sooner. Thanks for your patience.**

 **Everyone guessed correctly when they saw Pablo and Katelyn were going to be Portal Masters themselves. As for Cody standing up for himself, that will come too. The next chapter will set the stage for the following where Cody will really show some guts and Spyro will get the wake-up call he needs. I am really looking forward to posting that chapter – it was one of my favorites in the planning stage.**

 **In the meantime, as always, review, favorite, follow. Until next time!**


	19. Wrong Way

A couple of days after the incident gave the group, the school, and likely the entire Skylands some much needed time to adjust. By now the gossips had gotten hard at work passing the story around and putting their own creative spins. There was a definite buzz as one would walk through the Academy halls. There were also snickers and stares of judgment, but that might have just been in Spyro's case. He certainly wasn't happy about that.

What people could be happy about was the frank miracle that was taking place. At an assembly on the third day past, on the stage were two new faces before Master Eon. Two new heroes, most had hoped.

Stealth Elf and Eruptor took to the sides of the new children, one standing at attention with perfect posture, the other with a gaze like a pinball darting around. Eon had a welcoming smile much the same as the one he wore with Cody, allowing the two to take in their surroundings in a calmer manner.

Katelyn took her dress and curtsied. "My name is Katelyn Emeraude. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir."

"The pleasure is all mine, my dear."

Pablo took a much less formal approach hopping onto the old wizard's shoulders. "The name is Pablo, ten years old, Hispanic, and certified kooky foodie! I have a very important question for you, amigo! What does a kid have to do to get some Tres Leches around this place!"

"Eh… tres?"

"Apparently, it's some kind of cake, sir." Stealth Elf explained.

"Better get used to the funny words, too," Eruptor added. "Honestly, it's like he's speaking another language."

Eon cleared his throat. "Nonetheless, it is a joyous occasion that we have discovered two new Portal Masters. For events to have played out in this manner was something I well doubt anyone could have predicted. Surely this is the sign of a much greater force at work preparing us for the trials that lie ahead."

"These guys were pretty incredible the other day, Master Eon." Elf praised. "You'd hardly believe it was their first time fighting criminals. I think we could really use their help."

"The more the merrier, they say." Eruptor shrugged.

"Honestly, I'm still not quite sure how I feel about engaging in violence," Katelyn spoke once she saw Elf looking at her. ""Though if I am able to make a contribution here, I would be happy to oblige."

"I'm good as long as my tummy is!" Pablo added.

"Eh, you know I could use a bit of a snack myself. Those new deliveries for the cafeteria could use some managing." Eruptor rubbed his own belly.

"All in good time, Eruptor. For now, there is one important manner we must attend to." Eon raised his hands and magic clustered in spheres of red and green. They moved and swirled around the children laughing and aweing at the gentle light around them. The other two cadets went by their sides to join hands and gazes where words weren't needed.

Master Eon stepped before them. "It is with joy and pride I welcome you, Pablo and Katelyn as Portal Masters, protectors of the Skylands! Katelyn with Stealth Elf, and Pablo with Eruptor! May the bonds between you guide you as Skylanders, heroes true!"

The crowd of cadets cheered blasting and shouting praise in the air. It was a big step forward for the Skylands.

For Spyro, in the wings of the crowd a ways away from center stage, it was two steps back.

He was over in his least favorite place, in the back of the crowd, buried under layers of shadows from cadets clamoring for the front seat. Steam was nearly leaking out from every one of his bristling scales. Every half minute was another shoulder bumping into him or being shoved out of the way like a rock on the side of the road.

He was caught between welcoming the strange new neighbor anonymity was or slamming the door in its face and skywriting his name again. The dragon couldn't look anyone in the eye after being caught in the aftermath of that wrecked town. If anyone tried to get a look at him, he'd just flash a grin; a setback like this wouldn't be what got them the satisfaction they wanted.

Of course, if they kept trying, he wouldn't be responsible for what his twitchy tail would do.

"Well, well, well…" A bottled voice said. Spyro couldn't hold back the jump from looking into the face, or lack thereof, of Hex's familiar Skull. "Look who decided to share the spotlight…"

Others quickly surrounded in. Their stony chuckles grated on his hide.

"Guess bein' whupped by one Doom Raider wasn't enough," Terrafin stomped beside the dragon. "This fool needed a beat-down from a couple more 'fore he started getting' clued in."

"Hey, I had it handled." He bit back.

"Yeah, and people say my breath smells like roses in springtime," came Bad Breath.

"At least he had his partner to come up with a plan to get him out of that mess," Sprocket spoke with a snide undertone. "Or if he couldn't do that, he could still pull your sorry butt out before Pepper Jack turned you into a flambe."

Cody, everyone thought he needed Cody. For what was meant to be a partnership, everyone hoped more on the lines Cody could be some sort of keeper for him. It stung more because they did have a point. It was Cody who came up with the plan, Cody who could use the Traptanium Crystals. Now he was practically being treated as the kid's sidekick or pet.

"Him or someone else," Skull added. "You think of that when you stormed the castle, knight in shining armor?"

"You try guzzling down that chili!" Spyro grinned. "Talk big all you want, at least I've actually seen action while the closest you've come to a Doom Raider is the less-than-flattering picture they snag for the textbooks."

"If you'd crack a book open, you might have known that's Pepper Jack's usual style of combat." Sprocket added.

"Forget it, Sprocket. This is Master Eon's personal pupil. Like he needs to study." Hex mocked.

"Unlike the rest of us thick-skulls," said Skull.

"Fool gets taken in by the best Portal Master in the Skylands and he thinks he's hot stuff…" Terrafin leaned in, his rows of jaws glinting dangerously. "Maybe that's just 'cause Eon keeps tellin him that."

The shark had a big mouth that took in a lot of dirt. Now he was spitting it back out, but it still made Spyro's claws grind the dirt. He huffed steam back in his face, grinning at his cough.

"Well, not that it hasn't been fun catching up, but I've got things to do. It's been a pleasure as always."

He turned his back on them and walked away, holding his chest out like armor all the while. But the further away he got from the hostile crowd, the heavier that armor got. He had to squeeze his own breath out and shake his head to clear himself of the whole encounter, especially Terrafin's last comment.

Crossing by the tree, he found a familiar face. Despite all the stress of keeping his guard up the last few days and the replay of the whole mess, Cody's was a bit more welcome than anything. They stayed on opposite sides beneath the shade.

The boy's voice came from around the trunk. "We should… give back the case."

Spyro blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Elf and Eruptor said I should speak out… and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you're telling me they put you up to this?" The dragon scoffed. "Wish I could say I'm surprised."

"Master Eon will want the case with the crystals back. And I-"

"Look, forget about Elf and E, and forget about ditching the case. We're okay for now: I managed to convince JV we only had the two. If Eon's sniffing around, then I'll just cover to buy us some more time."

Cody sighed. He had more to say, Spyro knew. With all the time he spent to himself, all the time he would have had at his house, the boy would have to have plenty of things to say. He was willing to give him time to choke it out.

"Did you… get checked by the nurse?"

That caught his attention. Spyro did admit he was the type to put spit on his wounds and let them heal on their own. If the nurses gave him pressure, he'd give the old pass that dragons were notoriously fast healers. No one took his word seriously on that though.

Spyro smirked. "Ah, sure. Didn't need much rest anyway. Some water and a few pills and that chili was good and passed." Whatever the kid needed to feel better.

"Are you sure?"

"Totally." Funny. No one asked him a second time.

"It's just… I don't think we should do this anymore."

"That again? Look, those guys don't get it – I, uh, we've got a chance to make it big, take our first step as real Skylanders. We do that, then they'll see we don't need this place! This is what we're meant to do, fighting bad guys and keeping the peace."

"We didn't do a very good job of that, though."

"It was an epic clash of good versus evil! You got to expect some collateral damage!"

Cody slumped along the side of the tree, bowing his head between his legs. "Everyone expects us to be a team… so it's just that… I mean I do still want to leave, but-"

"You too?"

"… Me, too, what?"

He knew where this was going. He could have seen it coming from a mile away. "Forget it. Like I told you before I fly solo. I'm the top Skylander around here for a reason. I can look after myself."

Spyro flew off, leaving Cody and the ceremony of the new heroes on the block behind him. He flew off with nowhere in mind: the town, the library, some random chuck of floating rock, it didn't matter. He'd been in this situation more times than he had scales on his body.

He just wished he could have at least gotten it said straight.

* * *

To anyone else, it was a ridiculous sight of a floating head with a book atop her face. But Dreamcatcher's eyes saw something far beyond ink on pages.

She floated amidst some nightmarish parody of the Skylands bathed in green-tinted moonlight. Buildings and plants phased in between visibility, phantoms floated on the breeze, and any number of random things popped in at odd moments. From food to furry creatures and even ranging to the more paranormal, the Dream Realm was a place that defied expectation and reason. Yet Dreamcatcher floated as if home.

For it was here that she could toy with the minds of anyone she wished. A group of Mabu in white lab coats, for example, were running and screaming for life from a saber-toothed sheep. They were dressed in clown attire, afros and red shoes, to add toil to terror. The floating head just laughed swirling and tumbling in pursuit.

She caught up to spy the frightened faces of the Mabu in the lead. "Please, please! Make it stop! I don't want to be lamb chops!"

"You know how to make it end, poindexter! Just tell me the answers for my lame test next week."

"Fine, fine! The answers are-"

"Up to your little head games again, my dear?"

A figure spoke with a loud tap that stunned every bout of randomness into silence. That sheen off her gown and solid skin glowed like the sun in endless night. Dreamcatcher turned and smiled seeing the ruby eyes that proved it was still no friendly face.

Dreamcatcher rammed the sheep into the Mabu and sent them flying off the edge. "Heya, Queeinie! Totes excited to have you in my little corner of reality again."

The Queen looked to the edge where the sheep had fallen. "Quite a reality indeed, Dreamcatcher. If only your parents could see what goes on in your twisted mind..."

"O-M-G! Don't even get me started on my parents! All that 'you're just lost' and 'use you powers for good' junk!"

"Too true. What's the good of society compared to what a girl really wants?" The Queen clenched her claws. "That being said, freedom comes with a cost. I expect you to be my eyes and ears in that wretched Academy. Now report. What has become of Pepper Jack and Gulper?"

"What do you think? They're doing jewelry jail time."

The Queen scoffed. "I expected as much from that decrepit fool Chompy when he disregarded my command and went off on his own. But I gave Chef Pepper Jack explicit orders. We even made it easy for him."

"Guess I needed to push the kid in the wrong direction a little more."

"Indeed… This new Portal Master the Skylanders have found is more resilient than we gave him credit for." Golden Queen paced, surveying the gloomy abyss of mist, turning the metal fence before her to gold. "Should he and the Skylander truly unite, it will become detrimental to our mission."

"And what about the gross nega-munchkin? Kaos?" Dreamcatcher asked quirking a brow.

"A mere pawn. You needn't worry about him."

"Gotcha. Well, leave it to me, queenie. By the time I'm done with the twerp, he'll be begging to catch the next airship back to his super-lame world."

"Be sure to be discreet in that matter," she returned to Dreamcatcher, fingering a lock of her hair. "Your main duty is still to observe. Let the boy linger in self-doubt on his own, and should that arrogant young dragon add to it, then all the better. Report to me any major changes as they come."

Dreamcatcher was less than pleased, groaning at the thought of less damage she could inflict. "Fine."

"Remember, my dear. Should you remain useful as a means of surveillance, I will honor our deal. I will make you a full-fledged Doom Raider."

Dreamcatcher smiled.

.

"Dreamcatcher?"

The head woke in her hammock to Hugo right at her side. She recoiled from how close the Mabu was, adjusting his glasses to look at her.

"You said you were going to be out here studying for the test next week. Were you sleeping?"

Dreamcatcher chuckled, swirling and putting her hair back to a presentable position. "Please, Hugo, as if. You really think I'm the kind of person who'd break the rules?"

* * *

Eon had books swirling in the air, lifted by his magic, when the door opened. He swapped his gaze between books, staring at the titles and let himself be lost in a slow twister of knowledge. The past replayed fond images in a scrapbook of the mind. It brought a wistful smile hearing the voice of the one cadet in the center of those images.

"Master Eon! You wanted hang out with your number one pupil again, huh?"

"Spyro." He returned the books to their places upon the shelves. "Indeed. Do come in; I wished to have a word."

For all his raised self-importance, Spyro still kept some distance and a lowered head when talking to him. The dragon wore his best smile, making sure his teeth almost sparkled in just the right way. He hovered all around the old wizard with flashes of cockiness.

"I'm guessing you wanted a bit of an update on the whole 'partnership' situation. Going great. In fact, got to say, this whole thing has really got us both going places."

"I'm quite sure." Eon's smile faltered.

"Yep, everything is a hundred percent hunky-dory what with us all getting our bonding on."

"Most assuredly, and I would assume amidst all that bonding you'd want to get back to things, but I was hoping we could have a discussion in private. Come."

Spyro kept silent and followed the old wizard to a bookcase past the steps. Lifting a book with a hand brushed upon his beard, the case lifted from the floor. The two of them stepped into the hallway and entered into a new room. A room Eon kept behind a guise in plain sight for too many reasons.

The Relics Room, a single chamber containing perhaps the entire history of the Skylands and its protectors. The hills of treasures, statues and weapons were a tapestry of the Skylanders' lineage. Some were recently added, but others had likely not seen the light of day for centuries. Neither could deny the air of greatness that lingered in the air, or the gleam of the records of heroism around them. Even Spyro couldn't suppress his awe.

Temptation was clearly too great as he darted to each of the artifacts. He tried to lift weapons and playact as their former wielders. He'd spied his reflection with the jewels and coins and drank in the aura of importance. Eon let him have his fun as immature as it was.

"It is quite an amazing place, is it not?" The wizard asked.

Spyro returned to him sitting. "Are you kidding!? Amazing doesn't even top the list when it comes to this place. You never let anyone in here, what's the occasion? Did I break another record or something?"

"Ah, no." Eon paced to the pedestal in the center of the room where a dusty archive sat beneath a light. "As you know, Spyro, the Skylanders have been the protectors of the realm since perhaps the first recordings of our world's history. I founded this Academy so that proud lineage may yet continue, so that I could seek out and train the heroes of tomorrow. In all my years of running this institution, I have found many with the spirit and potential to walk that path."

"Uh, yeah. Some a little more qualified than others." The dragon quirked a brow.

"Perhaps you are right, but everyone is capable of greatness. I certainly believed that of you, even when I found you in the forest having just hatched from your egg."

People could have called it all sorts of things, but Master Eon was a firm believer it was destiny. Even back then Spyro showed no fear, could take on the world twice. Sometimes he would look at the grown dragon before him and still see that pup with wings. He'd had reasons to fight, but the old wizard wanted to give him reasons to protect.

Spyro in turn had gone silent, but then shrugged. "What can I say? I was a real firecracker back then."

"And you've become a blazing inferno of-"

"Talent? Charm? Power? Modesty?"

"Recklessness."

"Dragons are among the most powerful creatures in all of Skylands, but that does not mean they are without flaws, Spyro." Eon gave him a harder look.

"Yeah, 'they' have plenty of flaws," Spyro rolled his eyes. "But when it comes to yours truly."

"As I said, recklessness. Among cockiness, complacency, and perhaps… deceit?"

Now Spyro turned nervous.

"I can admit my own hand in many of those things but I know that I did not spend these many years raising you to be dishonest. I'd resign my robe and beard before that happened."

"Well, don't know whether to thank or blame you for all that."

Eon didn't, or almost couldn't, look his adopted student in the eye at that point. "I know it was you who took the Traptanium Crystals, Spyro. To be frank it was rather obvious. But more to the point, I know you are still attempting to run away."

"Run away? When have I ever tried to just run away?" Spyro flew up looking him in the eye. "Master Eon, I can take care of myself just fine. You saw how I could take down three Doom Raiders!"

"What I saw is how you barely survived without the aid of your partner and fellow cadets. What's more I saw how your arrogance left innocent lives hurt and a town completely destroyed."

"In my defense, it was only half-destroyed."

Eon sighed returning to the podium, still not looking Spyro in the eye. He'd rather have looked anywhere – at dull coins or rusted armor – anywhere but the arrogant cadet that only sought to throw himself into the fire with no thought. Spyro had tried, honestly tried before, he had a fire in his soul that wasn't just due to his anatomy. But he'd changed along the way, and by then every day was just a means to earn a quick and easy graduation.

He'd missed the Spyro he had before, who was willing to fight tooth and nail for his beliefs, to do what was right. The Spyro that was a born warrior before all his heaps of praise turned the dragon into what he was now. Worse was that both of them were aware of the cause, and neither was sure of a solution. It made the air of greatness almost a poison the old wizard was unsure was good for his pupil.

He stroked the cover of the book on the pedestal once again. "I expect the crystals to be return. And you will be suspended for your behavior."

"Suspended!?" Spyro's wings almost froze mid-air. "Eon you got to be-"

"I am not finished."

"Uh, okay."

The book opened with a wave of his hand to a blank page. "This hall is filled with the remnants of some of the greatest Skylanders our world has ever seen. It was my hope that you would one day take your place among them. That is why I brought you here today."

Eon turned to see the dragon nod in compliance.

"I still believe you can. Which is why I am giving you the chance you have been asking for. There will be an exhibition match to take place at the end of the semester, and you will participate."

"Exhibition match? Like a real exhibition, where everybody can literally watch me kick butt and have to take notes!?"

"Something to that effect."

"HAHAHAHA!" Spyro was midair spinning into a purple twister. "Luckiest day of my life! Bring it on, Eon! I am more fired up than ever! I'm gonna torch whoever you've got waiting, so give me your best shot!"

"I shouldn't have to tell you this match will not be easy."

"Come on, it's a match against a hologram! How is it not a breeze?" The dragon landed atop the pedestal and slammed his claw onto the page, almost cementing his place there. "You're not going to regret this Master Eon. Promise!"

The dragon was quickly out of the room, laughing all the way.

That left the old wizard alone to close the book and soon after the door to the room. He left himself inside to take in the solitude and his thoughts. So many thoughts: the past, the present, and the future, all tinged with disappointment and regret. He gave a slow shake of the head.

"Do not be so grateful, Spyro. I have no doubt as I have planned, you will fail this challenge."

* * *

 **Another chapter complete. This once seemed a little long-winded, especially since I meant it as a sort of interlude. I'll fix it in editing at some point.**

 **So a few steps forward and a few steps back. Long story short it seems like our heroes aren't going anywhere. Our villains just might be, however, and the Skylanders will have to keep up the pace. The next chapter will really get us going there, especially since Spyro's dreams of freedom hang in the balance.**

 **Congrats to all you reviewers who predicted that Pablo and Katelyn would get in on the action with their new partners Eruptor and Stealth Elf.**

 **The next chapter is one I've been looking forward to posting for a long time, as if the title wasn't enough hint. You'll see. Until then, review, favorite, follow! See you then!**


	20. Finally Friends

_We'd had our rough moments, just straggling along united by common goal. That was the only tie keeping us going._

 _But I remember that day, on Spring's end, that everything finally changed between us._

 _._

Red rays filtered through the gates, flares with the rumblings of a crowd igniting them. It was a new meaning for 'into the fire.' Spyro liked the heat.

The dragon had been restless in the two months since Eon gave him the prize beyond those metal bars, the golden ticket to his freedom. Since then, the dragon had been like a kid on a sugar rush, one-dragon airshows all day and parties all night. He couldn't be readier, that was his thought as training seemed unnecessary. His muscles tensed, and blood raced more in those days – the world just wasn't moving fast enough. His grades were taking serious blows as Jet-Vac loved to keep reminding him, but he was past the point of caring about his GPA.

The mumblings went on, neutral. Spyro bared himself with his chest thrust, flaming from his nostrils. His wings blasted the ground with a wave of dust. Some uncontrollable blaze was in him and wouldn't go out, not that he wanted it to.

"Go time."

Master Eon stepped out onto the balcony of the school arena, now fully restored. It showed no sign of age nor scars from the battle with Chompy Mage. He projected himself and the image of his head floating amongst the stands filled with cadets and members of the public.

"Welcome cadets, to our annual exhibition duel! Every year at the semester's end it is our tradition to test the mettle of those about to cross the threshold from student to Skylander. To take all that they've learned in their time here and put it to the ultimate test." His chin held high, he looked away from the spectators. "While the chosen candidate has not yet reached that line, he shall nonetheless face that same challenge."

The cadets looked to one another. All they had heard was the candidate for the match had been changed. Grilla Drilla was a prime cadet for graduation and planned to stay to teach. So then…

"It is my and your senior Skylanders' hope that this will inspire all of you to aspire to greater heights." The look of hope in his eye suddenly darkened to match the cloud cluster overhead. "As a new darkness spreads across our world it is important that you stand tall to face the dangers ahead. Be bold and be vigilant."

"What is Master Eon talking about?" Elf asked. She and the rest of their group were up near the center of the stands.

Eruptor shrugged. "All this 'cause of one little jailbreak?"

"What does a kid have to do to get some palomitas de maiz in this crazy joint!?"

"Pablo, please sit down." Katelyn tugged him by the wrist to his seat. "You're making a scene."

"Now raise your voices for our chosen cadet. Enter Spyro!"

At his cue, the dragon glided into center stage. The mid-afternoon's light hit him full force bordering on crimson highlighting him as he slashed the dirt. The warmth of late Spring was all around, yet cold slices were running all along his scales.

"Are you kidding? Who let this jerk in!?"

"Get him out of there! I've seen enough of this guy for a lifetime!"

"My money's on the hologram!"

.

Eruptor shot up with a blast true to his namesake. "Oh, sure! The guy skips half his classes, naps during the other half, and the rest of his time's spent writing smoky fam-mail to himself! And what does Eon do! Give him a free pass to the end of the line!"

"Yeah, normally I don't care, but this doesn't set a good message for those of us who actually study."

Cody and Katelyn turned to Stealth Elf. "Wait, what's going on?"

"Why is it so relevant as to who is selected for this exam and who isn't. It is just another test, right?"

"Not every test is basically a free pass to graduation. If Spyro wins and let me tell you that is a big if, he'll finally get what he wants. An easy graduation."

The words left a bitter ring in Cody's ears and seemed to spread throughout the stands. Every cadet in every class watched with almost beady red eyes down at the stands ravenous. All those chilling stares right at Spyro when they might have preferred the sight of anything else. The dragon's wings dropped without returning their looks.

"No one else seems very happy either…"

.

"My adoring public, good to see they can't take their eyes off me." The dragon's smile was paper thin, fangs grating behind his lips. "At least not this time. This time they'll have to watch."

Once upon a time the dragon could have paid students to his one-dragon shows and could never get a crowd. All their lectures on 'the power of teamwork' and 'trusting friends' and the only time he could get support was in the few times he'd made a slip-up. Somehow doing no wrong in drills meant he could do no right in his fellow cadets' eyes. Something had to change, some incredible game-shaker from out of the wild blue yonder that could elevate him into legend.

Nothing ever did. He sighed a puff of fire.

"I'm tired of waiting."

The wizard on his podium raised his hand. It glowed a gentle blue to stir the Portal at the end of the stage.

It sizzled and sparked with a pale blue, but its features were the same. Rows of jagged scales, a smashed-in face, and jaws carved from a stone-like maw. The holographic creature's eyes turned to slits as it spied its real prey. It gave a roar that scratched as a recording should, but still sent tremors along the ground.

"That unwholesome blob from the other day seems complacent compared to that thing."

"Fire Vipers. Nasty." The rock creature agreed with Katelyn. "The textbooks do not do those things justice."

"They shoot fire, have acid-like venom, and they're as sneaky as they are strong. Makes the exam all the tougher. You take one of those down, you know you're ready."

"Speaking of ready! Palomitas! De! Maiz! I'm ready for delicioso treats!"

Spyro charged aiming for the maw of the Viper. Just as it chomped he'd made a sharp turn and looped along the wall of the arena. The viper slithered and writhed as Spyro's stream of flame joined it in a serpentine dance. The lines of snake and flame went parallel along each other, neither touching.

Spyro, never to toot his horn, was giving the Viper a run for its money dodging its bites. IT curled and twisted into itself to clamp its fangs onto its scales. Many came close, but none got their marks. "Come on! I've taken out garden snakes tougher!"

He launched his fireballs. They had as much luck as the Viper's go for snack.

A barrage of single to triple fireballs were his comeback, but it kept dodging. Keeping in sync with the massive serpent and keeping on the offense was a strain on the eyes and the throat with time. Each missed shot only annoyed the dragon more. His fire shots became a trade-off of more power and less accuracy while the whole arena blurred into orange. A pool of flame compensating for the shying sun.

From the lawn of fire, the Viper emerged. It spawned out, its jaw grazing the edge of Spyro's chest. He'd stumbled but remained airborne. "Lucky shot."

It leapt from the flames again, scratching at his wing. Once more, his arm. His fire chased the beast, but it was lost in the wildfire below. Growling he shot a stream of flame swirling into the fray below. More and more until it sizzled, and smoke was all that came. By now the ground was black and melted.

So it was with a burning throat and wheezing like his lungs had been ripped out that he met the beast again. It hovered in the air lifted by its own intact wings. He breathed meeting the glint of its fangs.

Spyro felt the crush of its coil cracking his bones, too winded to even cry.

He was a rag doll with scales flung into the air and swatted into a new hole in the wall.

He squinted, head pounding, to catch the blaze of a fireball twice his size launched his way.

The smoke cleared, and a dragon's body covered in bruises, scratches, burns, and sweat fell to the ground.

"That is enough. This match is done."

The hologram stopped frozen. Spyro's form stiffened, head jerked up to see Eon overhead on his podium. The old wizard looked out to the crowd. "Let this be a lesson to everyone. The forces of evil never rest, never show lenience, and are growing ever stronger. I have called out to the farthest reaches of the realm for aid. But take heed now."

His master, his adoptive father, turned to him. Spyro had never once seen a gaze so empty or disappointed. His breaths could only be kept so steady.

"Complacency and overconfidence are luxuries we cannot afford. Raw talent and belief in your best alone is not enough. If I must use stricter methods to enforce this… then I will not hesitate to do so. "

Spyro could no longer look. No longer think. Just feel the stares of hundreds as he clawed at his scales.

.

A familiar form in a dark robe had a farther off seat. It wasn't the optimal angle to catch the delicious look of agony and humiliation on Spyro's face. But the fact the Skylander wannabe was on the ground groveling in bruises was satisfying enough.

"Ahahahahaha! Oh, poor little dragon got embawassed!"

Kaos raised a sphere of dark magic surging in his hand, the book glowing in the other. "I hate to kick a Skylander when he's down. Well, not really, I love to kick him when he's down! But let's see if I can make it hurt more when I send someone else to do the work!"

The spell book glowed, its aura flaming.

"The Golden Queen will be so impressed with me! The book gains more power by the day! Once I feed it that stuck-up salamander's Magic Element, we'll be one step closer to total Skylands domination!"

The glow burned. It roared, moaning, crying out in pure starvation. Kaos raised it before him.

"Yes, you want it, don't you? That delicious power, for us… and us alone." The gem embedded in the cover shined. It's twinkle almost returned his gaze. It moaned further almost forming words between its fluctuations.

"You really crave it..."

But the moment ended, and Kaos stuffed the book back into his robe. He fired his magic towards the hologram.

"Eh, who cares? Like there's anything special about that guy."

.

A crackle came into the air. Maybe it was the ominous rumble in the air or the way the clouds blotted out the sun, but something changed. The hologram lost that cool blue glow and no longer fizzled.

"W-What is this? Something is wrong."

That was an understatement, the dragon thought. The viper's body gained a spectrum of violets, grays and reds, rows of scales were in full definition, and its roar was much less static. The spit covering his face in the midst of it was much more sticky and warm than anticipated. Which could only mean…

"Come on! Let it get in another good smack!"

The former-hologram obliged, firing a volley of fireballs. The dragon gasped rolling out of the way just before the bricks behind him melted and crumbled behind him. It was going to ache in the morning but he pushed his good old wings to get him altitude once more. He stared the Viper in the eye, noting how hungry it looked for a projection.

The crowd was not making this any easier. "Give up already! Is your head that swollen or something?"

"Take your lumps like a real dragon! It'll really bring out the purple!"

.

"This isn't right…"

Cody rushed to the edge of the steps grabbing the railing. All around him were cold jeers ranging in volume, too caught up in the chance to see slaughter. Spyro could only fly about to escape the clutches of the seemingly real monster. He looked all around barely able to process the words.

"Get him! Get him!"

"Time for the number one Skylander to get knocked down to last place!"

"Is something up with the simulation?"

"Who cares? That stuck-up slacker's getting the beatdown he deserves."

The boy froze. "D-Deserves…?"

The world went to black with whispers of hate flaring along the edge. His body began to tremble without any control as the one word played in his mind over and over. He goaded himself to snap out of it, making a mantra of his thoughts: 'it wasn't right, it wasn't right.' Only to be slapped with the opposite by shadows in his head for even feigning morals.

It was right. It was natural. Those who did bad things deserved their punishments.

A blur that might have been the dragon resembled a person towering over him, once he opened his eyes, and he closed in on himself. Think of anything else, think of the silence, the darkness, the nothing of his own room. Blank it all out and return to that sweet abyss of emptiness without seeing or feeling anything. Think only of the desk and all the lines in the wood or homework and let all the hate and anger fade away. Cody lulled himself without stop, forced his breathing to slow and to fall into that peace and comfort.

But it was… a punishment, wasn't it?

What was peace was penalty. The rewards they wanted were the punishments they deserved.

"Everyone deserves what they get, don't they?"

Cody fell on his back with Dreamcatcher next to him. Her glowing eyes pinned him down like nails.

"For real, chill out. Don't go all spaz on me. Just take it in like everyone else – that guy needs to learn his place. Kinda like how you got yours."

The boy's breath hitched, skin pale. People he knew, once trusted, said the same. How could she-

"…It's cool if you, you know, walk away. Totes not gonna blame you; anyone else stuck with that guy and the bestie he sees in the mirror would do the same. He's not your friend, never was, never will be. There's nothing you can do anyway."

He swallowed turning slowly to… his partner. "But… I can't-"

"Sure, you can. You could do it all along. What you wanted from the start, to drop that unlucky charm in your pocket, walk away, and forget this place like a bad nightmare." The head floated close to his ear, freezing the air in his lungs and letting the world return to nothing.

"Between the two of you, you're the only one with somewhere to go."

.

Okay, there was no longer any denying it. He was at the end of his rope. The dragon was on the ground, burnt, broken, and exhausted to collapse. Eon's voice called out from somewhere, but his head was still ringing from all the knocks to the head.

For some reason, amid all the cadets cheering for the final blow, he heard Elf. "Okay, this is getting bad. We got to get down there!"

"Ready when you are, Elfie!" Eruptor's voice followed. "He's a numskull but he's our numbskull!"

"Spyro, get out of there! The simulation has gone out of control! I can't shut it down!"

Eon always did have a sense of humor. However corny it was.

Despite the throbbing, the weakness in his legs, the uncontrollable desire to slash at his scales and burn everything in sight, the dragon stood. The Viper loomed over him a near silhouette in the shade cast by looming clouds, the stench and warmth on his breath making him choke. Still, he dared to look the beast straight in its eye.

"Skylanders face their foes, right? I'm not running." The beast growled at him. He buckled but kept staring and snarled back. "You give it your worst, and I'll give my best!"

He beat his wings rising.

The Viper unleashed a spiral of flame. The dragon stared into the eye and pushed his wings and body forward.

Until he felt a weight on his back, knocking him down and out of its range.

Cody was there, gripping his horns and throwing his flight off. He was tough but had taken a beating and wasn't used to a passenger. The two sputtered and darted in no which way.

"What the heck! What are you doing?" The boy yanked his head. "Do you see a saddle anywhere on this back?"

"Sorry! Sorry! Just try an-and angle yourself! Aim for the back joints!"

The Viper watched them swing and buzz like flies and aimed a fireball at them. He felt the wind knocked away as Cody sprung a shield to his arm and knocked the blast away. Spyro had to admit it was impressed but was too annoyed at the sudden two-on-one pairing to care.

"I got this covered, you know!"

Cody yelped blocking another shot. "You attack! I'll defend!"

Spyro followed through and looped around, a ring across the arena towards the Viper's tail. They raced along the serpent's body level as the creature moved in turn. Spyro nailed a shot right in the joints bringing it down.

The dragon got his second chance as, grounded, the Viper unleashed its fiery tornado again. The dove into the flames, Cody hugging his neck tight with his magic keeping it away. Spyro kept charging like an arrow, the window growing smaller still. Eyes slit he took aim and fired his own shot. Into the serpent's mouth.

It gulped the flame into its throat and the tornado vanished, flames carried on the wind. The Viper gagged, choking on the dragon-fire swirling and mixing with its own insides. It fizzled between its real and once holographic body crackling, smoking, and light peeking from its form.

What happened next walked the fine line between awesome and gross. With a final gagging fit it glowed and vanished in a screaming explosion, fire and light surging in a burst half the arena's size. The crowd shielded their eyes from the blast, and as for Spyro and Cody, no one could tell. The shining aftermath seemed to swallow them both entirely, to the screams of their teammates and teacher

But as it settled, the two survived, if barely. They had been blasted from the force into the last patch of wall just barely still intact. With a hard slam to their backs they both hit the floor.

Spyro was the first to pull himself to recover. His brain still bouncing in his skull and a bitter taste of a half-victory he shook his head. "I had it handled."

"Ah!"

Spyro leapt. Cody was clutching his arm, his face unseen. He must have hit it in the crash.

Everything else faded in that moment.

"You're… you're hurt-"

He reached out to the boy, unsure of what to think or do. For the first time that seemed like a bad thing. The boy didn't turn to face him, only rose to his feet and walked towards the old wizard floating on his podium to them.

"A valiant effort, both of you." He retained dignity as he approached, despite the danger and fury of it all. "Much to be desired, and quite frankly unexpected overall. However I believe this will serve as an important lesson for everyone to consider as they continue-"

"I quit."

.

Everything stopped again. Echoes of gasp rung throughout the arena.

"Wha!?"

"Excuse me!?"

He spoke slow and toneless. "The trial run, it's over... I'm going home."

It was another run of firsts as Eon, wise old Eon who always had a grandiose speech and experience to share, stammered. "But why? Young Cody I am sure you're disappointed but that is no reason to-"

Cody still did not raise his head, only reached into his pocket. He placed the Portal of Power, the little trinket that started everything into Eon's hand. This… wasn't a joke, no matter how much Spyro was telling himself it had to have been.

"You said you wanted Portal Masters, right? Now you have two more. I don't have any reason to be here, I never did."

"I don't understand! Cody, I know there is greatness in you, I told you there was purpose in your coming here! The Skylands need you; you have the chance to be a hero to so many!"

Cody shook his head. "I told you from the start I was no hero... What I don't understand... is this place."

The boy finally rose his head, but… Spyro wished he had kept it down.

Cody's face was a mask cracked and chipped, now falling apart yet still desperately hiding behind his red locks. It was an empty gaze, bags heavy with tears that couldn't fall, and skin a cold white. Spyro looked anywhere else he could just to keep from crossing sights with that look of utter heartbreak. The boy turned to everyone in the crowd, the people that mocked him. Spyro raised a wing he didn't know was shielding him and watched the boy's back.

"Why do people here like to tear each other down? Argue with each other and make a competition out of it?"

The crowd remained silent at his query. The sun, almost in awe, peeked through the clouds.

"Someone special..." The boy swallowed down the start of a choking voice, "told me school is a place where everyone should get along, because they have stuff they're dealing with. Everyone here wants the same thing - to be heroes, helping people, making life a little more bearable... The least they can do is help each other."

He turned to Eon, "Thank you for the opportunity..." and he walked away.

He couldn't leave. The dragon was finally thinking clearly, and the clear truth was in a crowd full of nameless faces, Cody had sacrificed for him. It wasn't fair for him to stand up just to suffer.

This wasn't right.

"C-Cody! Hold up a minute!"

Before he knew it, he was at the boy's side, a wing and claw draped around his shoulder. The Portal he had surrendered to Eon's hand now in his other claw. It was better meant in… his partner's hands.

Cody blinked between his face and offering. "What are you-?"

"That arm of yours got pretty banged up." He was quiet looking to the boy's injured limb. "Better let them take a look at it in the medical ward."

"No, I'm fine. You shouldn't-"

"Dude, didn't you just say it? Heroes lend a helping hand. This hero's just sticking to the job description."

In an arena full of people, there was total silence as the two walked out. Spyro didn't mind – he'd had enough of their comments for a year. The clouds had finally and fully parted for the sun to shine again, yet the chill of Spring was still in the air. The dragon didn't mind.

Looking only at Cody, he could have sworn it was a little… warmer now.

He placed the Portal in the boy's hand. "Hey, don't sell yourself short. Might be, you belong here more than you think."

* * *

 **And that is a wrap, people. This is one I've been waiting a long time to post, because it means the start of something special.**

 **This chapter now marks the midway point of our story, the part where everything starts to change. Our heroes' eyes have opened a little more to finally get a good look at their new partners. Spyro had to take a few lumps but I'd say he walked out of this with something a little better than a new title.**

 **The road ahead is still bumpy, and they will be tested. But they will be in a better spot than they were before.**

 **Next chapter is an aftermath to this and a little glimpse as to what comes next. Be ready for things to start to get crazy. Thanks again for all the warm comments thus far and your interest in the story. We are now halfway through, so stay in your seats.**

 **As always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	21. Starting Over

Something was different. Spyro couldn't say what. Were his wings working for him or against him?

His musings reigned in his slam to open the door. "Yo, yo, yo."

He'd spent little to no time in the nurse's office based on memory. Though he could say the room where Cody had been resting looked like something out of a cheap painting from a swap meet. Birds chirping out the open window letting gentle light were the only signs the world was still moving. With Cody looking out the window, wrapped in pure white sheets, the dragon would think it was a moment frozen in time. It did give Spyro the chance to stop and smell the sweet scent of the flowers in the vase at the side-end table.

The boy paid no attention to his entrance. Spyro wondered if he even noticed the signed cast on his arm.

Day after day for weeks since the match, he found himself on a sun-lit cobblestone path heading for the nurse's office. People didn't say a word in his presence, and he said nothing in turn. Spyro would only see a flash of the face of the boy whose words ripped away a tender blanket and found a bed of worms underneath.

It wasn't like he didn't know. He did. But it made things… weird.

"Would've brought a bouquet but…" he chuckled, eyes hovering to the door. "… JV's triple-duty detention gets me out right at closing time at the student store."

The boy remained silent.

"I was thinking… luminaries? I've always said you can't go wrong with luminaries…. Um, you'd like em. They, uh, glow."

More silence. The sky was the perfect shade of blue, he could admit.

"Picked up the assignments from class. Thought you could use 'em." He set the papers at Cody's lap.

Okay, was he just asleep sitting upright?

He cleared his throat and snapped the boy back to reality. He struggled, for whatever reason, to make eye contact. "So, arm's doing okay?"

"Huh? Oh… yeah." His fingers shuffled the folds in his blankets, inspecting and navigating them through the waves of fabric. His lips shifted the state of his moth from closed to full-on shut. "… I spend a lot of time indoors. My curtains are always closed, though."

"Well, that's kind of a waste, don't you think? I mean, just look at that sky." It really was a nice sky. Perfect for flying.

The clock ticked away at the moments while the two shuffled in place. Their limbs reached for whatever they could, kept whatever body parts moving occupied. But when they came into each other's radius it was like a wall of bricks barring access. Every inch of pent-up energy seemed to be making his way to Spyro's wings, twitching and flapping. Something needed to be done or said; whatever could stop making things so weird! Just get fired up and talk!

"Look, Cody. I was… a jerk. Like, a selfish, stupid, handsome jerk. You didn't deserve me yanking you by the chain just to kick butt and take lumps." He forced it all out yet grew more solemn with every word. "…I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

The dragon blinked. "Really? Wait, are you just saying that?"

Cody hadn't found whatever he had. He went right back to staring out that window. He went right to the sheets soon after probably to break routine.

No way he could just be fine. If it were anyone else, they would be looking to carve their initials or print knuckles in his hide. Elf and Eruptor could lecture his tail off until Hugo screamed the flock was home. And after he saw that face on Cody, that totally-devoid-of-life look, he could see Cody still had his own bed still covered and set.

For some reason, though, however it came across, hearing 'it's fine' sent something into him. It was something he'd never felt before, something weird to add on to the layers of weird already there. Weird didn't keep him away all these days he'd gone to see him, though. Weird wasn't the kind of bad guy or evildoer that could keep him down after the Doom Raiders tried and fell short. This kind of weird wasn't even that bad, though…

Something about it felt… good.

Spyro gave his wings their release and flew overhead grabbing the boy's good wrist. "Okay, first order of business. Get a little more fresh air into your system. Good thing we got loads of it here."

"Huh?"

"Here's a million-coin idea! How about you and me team up for the Skylands music festival?" The dragon asked. It was just an idea that popped into his head, from where he had no clue. "I figure you got some Earth stuff that'll really liven things up. Like seriously, every other act is some kind of horn solo?"

Cody blinked, still out of it.

"Quick question, though: how are you with instruments and learning a song in a few months? Plenty of time, right?" Cody was on his feet stumbling as Spyro pulled him to the front. "You can leave the cool factor to me! Now let's get planning!"

"But the nurse says I'm not ready to leave."

Sheets spilled onto the floor as Spyro pulled Cody to his feet. "What do nurses know? It's not like they're doctors!"

Cody's stutters were lost on Spyro, but only the ones that said to stop. He was willing to slow down a little more. As long as he could take in this smile on his face growing wider as they ran out the door and into the school. This was a weird he could get used to, he thought.

* * *

The face of Kaos's tower was a solid gold glistening even in shadow, yet the Queen's touch hid itself from the moon that peeked from the clouds. Its pale rays inspected the Queen in silence as she stood with her staff at her side, watching back. She held an empty gaze like a statue, no hint as to what devious thoughts gleamed behind her ruby eyes.

Heavy steps came behind her. They were laced with a furious growl and shaking chains. She knew from the past few weeks as to who it could have been. She smiled.

"Wolfgang, pet." She spoke without turning. "Lovely moon, isn't it? I can see why you find it so appealing. But that silvery glow would be better as a shade of gold, don't you think?"

"This ain't no moonlit rendezvous, Queen! I got a bone to pick with you!"

She side-glanced at the wolf to her left. Her fingers grasped his fur coat, tossing the locks in between her fingers. "Such hostility doesn't become you. Your luxurious fur will only stand on end, it pleases me more as it is."

The wolf swatted her away. She only continued to stare at his coat. "Right now what 'pleases you' ain't really in line with what's workin', id'nt it? We could'a taken those Sky-losers by now and here we are bunking with some villain wanna-be an' letting our ranks get shaved."

"Do not concern yourself with failures, Wolfgang. I have made it clear those who disappoint me have no place in my kingdom."

"If this keeps goin', the only kingdom any of us'll have is kingdom come! As in come right back to Cloudcracker!"

The Queen stroked under his chin again. "You are better felt than heard. Make your point."

"Let's get the band together an' take down that school and every last Skylander in it for good. Klankcase an' me, we got us plans to take down that Academy, seein' as how your little double-agent ain't doing nothin' sides-"

"Dreamcatcher is fulfilling her role, I assure you."

"By making some brat cry? Whoop-de-doo!"

"If it gets me closer to the stone, it is cause for revelry. Come, pet, surely you must see there is more to gain than merely an Academy."

The moon peeked out wider as if in hearing confirmation of her schemes. She only smiled back as if to assure nothing was wrong, however strained it felt. Gold was meant to be pristine, flawless; that was why she loved it so, why she wanted the world as her kingdom stacked upon it. Yet the wolf-man next to her only babbled on, punching cracks in her perfect gold for the sake of trampling on a few students.

"An' what about Kaos? You got something to gain by stringing that little egghead on?"

"Of course I do, he has Kaossandra's spell book. The power of a Portal Master in my jeweled fingertips. All I need is for that imbecile to finish charging it with the Elemental Sources."

Her cohort showed all the intelligence expected of an animal. There was still fury, perhaps more so as the confusion only seemed to add to it.

She demanded that calm, composed persona of herself so as not to solidify the wolf for his rebellious ignorance. "Between it and the Portal, we could gain access to all dimensions, all worlds, all part of my golden kingdom. And as a nice little bonus, I get my revenge on Kaossandra. Just when she thinks she is safe in her grandiose castle."

Few people knew or remembered from the old days, but she and Kaossandra had a history. Evil had a foothold in the Skylands, Eon and his forces were pushed back, and all seemed will. Until the heel-face-turn that kept Kaossandra sitting in power and her domain reduced to a small dome in Cloudcracker Prison.

She paced towards the moon, letting her fury show, and the moon hid behind the clouds. A cold wind blew, just the kind she preferred as her vengeance would be just the same. All her time imprisoned only made her covet her gold and the sight of scores of Skylanders fallen all the more. Anyone could call it fate or coincidence, but all the pieces were now in her hands. The Queen would sit on her throne, let events play out, and in the end, she would be the ultimate victor.

"And if Kaos gets the boot or loses the book or does what he'd do?"

"I have a contingency plan. As I've mentioned before, that idiot is only useful to me so long as he completes his task."

The wolf-man rolled his eyes. "However long that'll take."

Wolfgang stomped away as furious as he came, maybe more so. His temper was practically harassment to make her complexion wither. The Queen returned her gaze to the moon, and to a tuft of his fur she ripped out. The fibers turned to silk-like gold in her clutches.

"Oh, Wolfy. You just need to do as pets do – sit and await orders."

.

Wolfgang punched a hole into the gold brick tower as he returned to the entrance. Krankcase, hovering over the entry, jumped back at the move with a yelp. He dusted himself off and tiptoed on his multiple robotic legs to the wolf-man.

"Oh dear. Quite a quandary." He tapped his fingers together darting back and forth between his ally and the ground. What do we do?"

"What the best in the biz do – go solo."

.

Little did any of the back-stabbing parties know there was another witness. A troll who had the sense to hide behind a dead tree after another unsuccessful attempt to fly a kite and cross an item off his bucket list. Glumshanks snaked from his hiding spot behind the tree just as soon as the Doom Raiders were out of sight.

For once, there was a trace of concern on his face. If only a little.

"If I were a devoted and loyal servant to an all-powerful master, I would inform Kaos of the Golden Queen's deception and help him to devise a counter-strategy. Then again, I have dinner reservations."

But then he turned to the regal castle glowing as grandiose as ever. His thoughts strayed to the powerful Dark Portal Master inside. No one knew of his relationship with her.

"Kaossandra, however… well, Moisha never returns my letters anyway."

* * *

 **I ended up posting this a day later than normal, but I ended up taking an impromptu break. Somehow it feels like the inspiration is sapping from me. That or the Internet is too alluring.**

 **Anyway, a short filler chapter with the aftermath of the arena battle and a little hint as to what comes next. The Golden Queen's a little ambitious but her plan may not be as golden as she thinks. What will she do over one meddling troll?**

 **Sorry I haven't been responding to user reviews lately. I will try and get back to that with the next chapter. In the meantime, your continued support is really motivating to me. It really inspires me to see this through to the end.**

 **As always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	22. Secrets and Lies

Kaos vaulted with every skip in his step as he raced through the walls. Even his pallid face and robe had an unusual vibrance to them today. For whatever reason, his mother had summoned him, though he could only guess his success in evil-doing had finally won the dark empress's attention. Glumshanks was dragged at his side like a rag doll.

"Oh, Glummy! Mother finally sees me as a true Dark Portal Master! Happy day, happy day!" He took notice, almost for the first time, of the troll dragging dirt on the floor. "What do you suppose finally won her over? When I poured rat poison in your drinking water? When I scrolled town hall in the city? Or when I wrote vicious graffiti all over walls?"

Glumshanks lifted his head, face smeared with dust. "All washed away physically sir, yet the agony remains…"

His pants caught a snag in the floor. The troll slammed onto the tiling, grated onto his features.

"And I believe I only said your mother summoned you." His eyes rolled, for once with an emotion other than snide sarcasm. "For… no particular reason that might involve…"

"Involve what?"

"Involve a certain something that puts me at the wrong end of a dark magic blast no matter the option."

That didn't seem like another one of his servant's back-sass comments that he should be punished for. Kaos's gaze narrowed and nose wrinkled at a stench beyond Glumshanks's species. "…Good point. You're lucky I care for surprises." He walked away with a sigh from Glumshanks following.

"Don't count on getting out of this with your dignity intact though." His threat echoed down the hall.

"What dignity?"

Kaos opened the doors to the banquet hall and strode in on wings. The abundance of candles at every pillar and chandelier overhead reached even the six feet into the ceiling to make for no place where darkness could hide. It seemed like a high investment in wax, but it wasn't like it mattered: the room was bright and so was his future.

"Ah, mother! I can't tell you how elated I was at your invitation to dinner! Finally, you recognize my evil potential!"

"Oh, I've recognized something." She said in a slow, almost controlled tone. Her long fingers were wrapped into each other, gathering every ounce of her focus.

Kaos blinked. The dots of light and fantasy were out of his sight; Kaossandra's lush velvet seat was plain, no scrap of food or drink were anywhere on the table. The only scent coming from the surface was stale polish Glumshanks used to make it gleam as his head did when coated in toxic waste. The candles didn't flicker, their flames sentries examining every inch of him. The hall evoked flashes of his school days with every discernible point looking like an eye to stare judgingly.

Most notable were those of his mother who strode up to him, extending her hand.

Kaos tilted his head at her open palm. "A handshake? I was expecting a little more affectionate – I got the barf bags ready for afterward but-"

"Give it."

"Eh?"

The gems in her hair matched her eyes glinting dangerously. "I know you have it."

"Okay, not expecting to kick this off on my end-"

"For crying out loud, my spell book!" She yelled, pointing. "I know you have it, you pilfering little numbskull!"

"Oh. Oh… " Kaos cast a side glance at Glumshanks, who had the sense to hide behind a plant. "Oh…"

"It is one thing to go and play kiddie pranks on the Skylanders and call it acts of malicious destruction." She marched towards him. "It is quite another to sneak into my personal chambers and steal something as vital to me as my book of spells."

"B-but, mother!"

"Let alone using it to break that conniving Golden Queen and her pack of glorified gangsters out of Cloudcracker!"

He stood his ground. He might as well against his own mother. "The Doom Raiders are agents of evil just like us! If we united-"

"Enough!" A wave of magic washed through the room with a gust. The candleflames quivered from the force. Kaossandra clutched her head soon after to bring the flare of emotion down. "You will give me my book and the remaining Doom Raiders. You will go to your 'lair' and you will remain there until I can think of a punishment severe enough for your little 'League of Villainy.'"

Kaos took the spell book from his robe, his mother's sternness almost guiding his hand. Hers still waited, expecting the book to fall in between her fingers for him to never grasp again. His fingers clutched the spine as it hissed, an aura wrapping his tendrils around his arm.

Why was she so desperate to have it back, for her gaze to be the only one to ever see its contents? She was pulling him in two opposite directions, between the ruler of darkness he was sure she expected him to be and the bumbling fool she seemed intent to keep him as for eternity. This was his chance at ultimate power, that was the echo of his own thoughts that the book seemed to match. This book held all the answers – he could tell without cracking the covers open.

"No."

She seethed. "Don't you backsass me, young man!"

Kaos tucked the book between his arms, now tendrils themselves clutching the book in protection. "You've had this book for years and you wouldn't teach me a single spell that was in it. You've had me for years and never once would you show me the secrets of your power! What more must I do to prove myself?"

"I do not have to explain myself to you." She lunged for the book, but he pulled it away. It was his now." You want to become a force of evil, yet you have no idea what that even means. You want to rule this world and yet you don't even know of the powers within it. The horrors of war make your villainy look like the child's play it is."

"Another thing you won't tell me about! Seriously, is this just one of those 'birds and the bees' things?"

"Give me the book. I will not ask again."

For the first time, he felt something else towards his mother. A fury, a hate, for making him give up something he needed. He spoke in a deadly, almost demonic tone. "…You think you can take this power from me? I am going to use it to bring the Skylanders to their knees!"

Kaossandra and Glumshanks backed away. A smog enveloped the evil child's body, the veins on his hands turning to black. Dark magic pooled and crackled a violet glow in his hand.

"I will… become all-powerful!"

"Don't tell me…" She backed further. "Has he gotten to you?"

The fury in him settled, or stopped completely, for a moment. "He?"

The mistress fired a bright violet sphere at him. It blasted away at the ground knocking Kaos to his feet. She launched again, but this time he shielded himself with a barrier. Her blast still sent him to the wall. Kaossandra stared with magic radiating through her hand, the third blast spun by threads of power in her fingertips.

She fired a stream of violet magic. This time, he fired back.

Their streams crackled and wavered. It wasn't lost on Kaos that somehow his magic was matching up to his mother's. Kaossandra, a mistress who could banish an entire island to the depths of some alternate dimension with a wave of her hand. It truly was because of the book – merely touching it made him as powerful as her. He would be a laughingstock in the eyes of his old classmates, the Skylanders, and the Skylands no more.

Minutes passed and the strain was felt on them both. Kaos's hands began to burn, his mother's power finally showing past the stalemate. Her magic was gaining ground, pushing his back inch by inch. It creeped upon him like a snake ready for the pounce. But just as it came…

His other hand lifted Glumshanks who had been hiding in the corner. Kaos swung him in the way of the blast, watching him dance and jolt by his mother's blast. She gasped watching the troll's charred body drop, lifeless and smoking.

"One thing I learned best on my own!" He cackled. "Servants are servants, and they have their uses."

Kaossandra fell to her knees breathing hard with arms limp. "You are walking down a path from which there is no return."

His heightened mood at his default victory was suddenly tainted. "You sound like that goody-long-beard, Eon! If I didn't know any better-"

She rose again before he could inspect her any further. "You will stay away from my quarters, and I will be checking yours for the Doom Raiders, in due time. If I find my book gone again, count on a sudden change in your future, and not a pleasant one."

"Well, I've seen mother-son talks that went worse," Glumshanks coughed. "Don't ask where."

"Mother… just what are you hiding?"

* * *

It started out small, as most stories of that kind of thing did.

Spyro and Cody, they had that initial moment when that partnership that was once forced on them, suddenly seemed like it was possible. It happened in the hospital room when they came together, and for a moment, everything was okay with life. From there came little moments here and there, working a magic they couldn't see or know was there.

But it was there, they knew somehow.

Some days after were in the cafeteria, amidst the rough and tumble of students doing their rounds of study and gossip on personal life. Both would sit at tables where they were certain no one would come, keeping their distance. Spyro had a helping of meat his fangs tore into while Cody had the soup special, mindful of the hot liquid on his cast. They'd mind their own business like they were the only ones in the room.

Then they would catch glimpses of one another.

Maybe it was that Spyro's meat needed a little more spice, or that Cody needed a napkin for a stray drop of his soup. Either way, the two would see each other through all the chaos, behind the shadows of students they imagined silent. Both would pretend they saw nothing. Then they'd make excuses that they needed something closer to the other or something dropped on the ground. Either way, they'd be sitting right next to each other.

Days later and the silence would still be there. Fortunately, they saved themselves the trouble of sitting apart.

Spyro still made good on his promise to get Cody involved in the Skylands music festival. The two other teams got involved as well with the idea to form a band. Spyro, by whatever charismatic magic he had, got Stealth Elf and Eruptor roped into visiting the human world. They'd spend nights at Katelyn's grand estate with rooms for every day of the week and massive entertainment rooms with popcorn and snacks. The talks would start off serious enough, like what songs to sing or what instruments to play. Though it didn't take long to turn them into mindless kid talk.

Spyro was having too much fun with those aspects of Earth a child's life revolved around. Video games, movies, TV, not to mention the crazy assortment of foods. Cody turned out to have a skilled hand in games, besting Spyro even when he'd gotten the hang of a certain RPG. Those nights were wasted on after-matches and someone's choice of DVD.

Without any talk of duty or purpose, things were simple. There was breathing room for the first time. And for the first time, they were really looking at each other.

During recess the two did their own things. They still were worlds apart in personality, after all.

Or so they thought.

Cody was by the shade of a tree, cradling his cast now covered in signatures, his backpack by him. Spyro was out by the courts playing a practice round of what the cadets called 'Skyball.' Spyro dribbled the ball watching a team of Skylanders around him, a one-on-three match. He made quick passes to himself every time one charged at him and zig-zagged between their ranks for easy scores one after another.

Spyro had a natural talent, for fighting, flying, talking, playing, or anything else. One could name a talent off the top of their head and the dragon would have it. That might have been the source of the frustration clear on the other cadets' faces. The exhibition match had made it clear to Cody just how far that frustration could drive them, and what it could lead towards. The best example in the moment was how they'd gotten rougher in their plays.

The dragon was shoved, his wing grazing gravel and his snout getting a good taste of rock. Cody gripped his cast hard wondering what some people must have done to deserve such things. Spyro was kind, in his own way, he was adventurous. And seeing him rise with no sign of pain and only a smirk that almost dared for more, he had determination.

Cody wished he had that.

Spyro caught Cody grab his bag and leave – a feat he impressed himself with due to how quiet the boy was. He declared a forfeit and left the others to gawk in confusion at where he once stood. The dragon perched in the tree and watched as the boy wandered over to a wall of bricks nearby.

Cody pulled a box of colored sticks from his back – Spyro heard him call it 'chalk,' whatever that was. As if his hand had its own will, it left marks as Cody began to draw over the surface. Spyro's eyes went starry watching as Cody captured his likeness in the perfect shades and poses. Switching between sticks he was capturing the others just as exact, a world of detail and life in every stroke. He was making his own secret work of art, a masterpiece made only from memory.

Spyro didn't know why he was surprised – Cody had a greater attention to detail than most would give him credit for. There were times it would seem like Cody was stumbling in the dark, unsure of anything around him. But people didn't see that was because of all the amazing ideas in his head. Spyro could fully give him credit for his strategies saving them more than once against the Doom Raiders. He didn't need Eon or anyone to tell him that Cody was great.

The only one who didn't see that was Cody. Spyro didn't miss how his drawing was taking more effort than necessary. His chalk dragged along the bricks agonizingly slow, and sometimes he would drop the stick completely. It gave him the time to look at his drawings to see if there was anything wrong. That just seemed so Cody, thinking of others, always being kind and supportive, giving those close to him beyond his best against his own being.

Spyro wondered why he didn't catch any of that before.

The two would spend more days like that, dropping pretenses and being in each other's company. More discoveries were made along those lines, more sides they admired or missed. In all that time, both felt on the verge of something.

What that was, they weren't entirely sure.

* * *

Summer was… hot.

Cody had forgotten how hot given how he frequented being in a house with air conditioning. He'd heard stories of people being able to fry eggs on the sidewalk in that weather. At the very least he could sweat enough without his sweater. Luckily, he had a thin white variant that did the job.

He shaded his eyes looking up at the cloudless sky, blinking as he came to close to sunlight. It pulled him back down to Earth with smells of meat on the grill, bees buzzing with ready stingers, and kids playing in their inflatable pools shrieking and splashing. Everything on TV commercials and movies that showcased the joys of a season without school.

"Summer's… lively…"

What would add to that liveliness was the Skylands Music Festival coming up. Katelyn had enough instruments for her own private orchestra for them to rent on the condition that they entered as a band. It would take weeks of practice and he still didn't have an instrument to play. Neither did anyone else, so he was relieved the Skylanders could relate over the grand scope of instruments beyond horns. Maybe he had a book on music in his room.

His room…

He hadn't been there in a while, and in the moments he had it was for a sparse few seconds. How different it was from the days when he didn't care what was beyond his door. Cody breathed, heel tilted, as he made the round back to his house.

"Was it… always like this?"

The building looked abandoned despite how there were still people living there. Paint peeled off the wood planks, the lawn was growing well past the need for the old lawnmower, and dust was visible on the windows. A part of the family left to its own devices and it settled to wither. That was too familiar.

Speaking of familiar, there were loud and gruff voices Cody questioned himself how he missed. In the driveway, for a change, was the squad car of his father, and his father leaning on the trunk. He was talking to another man Cody could pull from recent memory. Auburn hair, an aging smile, and the need for V-neck formal attire despite weather that could burn it right off him. The two men caught him simultaneously.

"D-Dad…"

"You're out and about," he grunted, his gaze turning to steel at him.

"Well, well. It's been quite some time since we've met."

Cody's voice was delayed. "You're-"

"Leichter, just Leichter. I had a feeling you looked familiar, but to think I didn't put my finger on it right away." He knelt to Cody's level, inspecting him. "You're Alice's kid."

He knew his mother? Cody didn't like where this was going.

"Your mother and I were old friends. Naturally I got acquainted with your father too. We just met a moment ago, catching up on old times."

Cody's father folded his arms. "Lots to catch up on. Guess with your job, you can't help but be kept out of the loop."

"That's right. I'd hoped to meet up with Alice's relatives too. Haven't heard so much as a peep from them."

"Probably to do with the fact they've all up and moved out of town. Some even out of the state." The gruff officer bit his lip while Cody gripped his sweater. Summer's heat turned to bitter winter washing over him. "No addresses, no numbers or e-mails, nothing to remind folks they're even still alive and kicking. Suits us fine. I say let 'em drop off the face of the Earth."

"Still taking it hard?"

That was an understatement. Family had been a very difficult subject, and still was if he and his father were any example. Cody's legs grew weaker by the moment, like the only strength they had was from living in the moment. Erasing his presence from the two men pushed them enough for the boy to back away.

"Enough about us. You've got some big-time job? How's life on your side of the fence?"

"Life with the military never goes that far until you climb the ranks. That's just what I did." Leichter chuckled as if he hadn't just poured salt into an old wound. "I've been working with some of the nation's best scientists. I place a priority over school and education, something I tried to instill in my daughter. "

"That right?"

The formal man's tone became wistful as he stood straight. "Oh, yes. When you acknowledge there's always something new to learn, that's the sign of a quality mind… Never could tell if Alice thought the same. Wanting to be a teacher when she wasn't the best student."

Teetering on the edge of existence, Cody's feet scuffled on the pavement. The men suddenly became aware of him again. Leichter approached without a clue or care as to Cody's nerves spiking.

"It is true, you know. We were childhood friends, once upon a time. I think I even gave your father a run for his money." He chuckled before turning wistful again. "She was special. Quite special."

"Oh…"

"We did everything together even though personality-wise, we were worlds apart," he chuckled through his teeth. "She was a true angel, smile like heaven and wings on her back. Though she also had the halo light enough to lift her head and the rest of her body to the clouds."

Cody's father groaned light-hearted, or as much so as he could be. "That was Alice. Sweet but a ditz…"

"For things to turn out like they did…" Leichter blinked looking back to Cody and caught the lump in his coat. "Cody? Got something in your pocket there?"

Cody startled, pressing the lump as close to his body as he could. "Um… it's not-"

"Let's look."

The boy backed more from Leichter's hand until that ill-placed crack in the side walk. Cody tripped and fell as the stone rolled out of his pack. He snatched it as quick as he could, but not fast enough for Leichter to see it in broad daylight. He stared at it through his fingers, and if Cody wasn't blinking too much from the light, his smile went almost sickly thin.

"Well… isn't that just a fancy little piece of rock?" His voice had a clear razor edge to it.

The boy crumpled into himself with the Portal close to his chest.

"Alice would find strange things like that as well. Just uncanny how you remind me so much of her. I know it's been some time since she passed but… I swear you'd think you were looking right at her."

"Uh-"

"Oh, she'd stutter like that too, when we first met. Sometimes you even sound like her." Leichter chuckled again but this time his smile was lost in the shadow hanging over his face. "We should have ended things on better terms but I just thought she had to… grow up."

Still on the verge of collapse, Cody scrambled to his feet as best he could. "I… I have t-to go… I, I have homework-"

"Hold it!" His father barked.

Cody looked to the man pleading silently for sympathy. His father's glare only yanked the chain around his neck. Sympathy was lost to him five years ago.

"You're not going anywhere. Someone is talking to you so act properly. You insist on coming out of your room, you might as well stay out." Cody grimaced at the hypocrisy.

Leichter loomed closer to Cody pushing him back onto his father's car. The man didn't care if he could be grounded to dust. In fact, he looked expectant. "Imagine my surprise when I find out she was a mother. I was proud, seeing her ready to take that next great step, only for her to pass away. She was special, so special! Looking back, special's the only word to come to mind! All her stories about spending time with fairy-tale creatures like dragons and elves and wizards."

Wait, what? Head in the clouds, fairy-tail creatures?

"Now that you're in school I wonder if you picked up on her habits. She'd laugh so much seeing you playing with your little friends. You're just as special as she is." Leichter used that word 'special' like a spear to jab into Cody over and over just to draw blood. The more he said it the more his features hardened past that overly-friendly smile. Cody had limits when talking about his mother, or even thinking of her.

"If only she were here to see you now…"

That was the limit.

Cody rushed to the door and slammed it behind him. Summer's warmth was completely gone in the cold AC indoors, and the black in his vision. He breathed hard with sweat running down his neck.

"Cody!" His father yelled. His fist banged the door. "You open this door right now or so help me-"

"It's fine. That homework must be quite tough." Leichter spoke nonchalantly.

"I'm sorry about this. He should expect a good, long punishment for this."

That word… punishment.

His father didn't know the half of it, likely because he was never around. His home was at that police station; staying every waking moment of the day was proof. Inside this house, has clean and proper as it was with sparkling floors and comfortable furniture, was so different from out there. There was no other word, if the boy was honest, but punishment.

"It was nice seeing you again, Cody." Leichter called to him. "I have important things to attend to. Perhaps we can talk more some other time. I hope maybe I can share my work with you soon. You'll find it interesting. Could just be something that ends up changing the world."

There was silence after, from the man's leaving, Cody hoped. It felt terrible to think, but he was certain he did not like that man.

The air conditioner ran on his ice-like skin, the sweat frozen atop the surface. For moments the cold lingered both inside and out, words like 'mother' and 'special' ringing in his head, smothering him in echoes like drums. He needed to do something else, anything else, go somewhere only peace was, or a sense of normal.

Cody stood at the base of the stairs, looking up to the second-floor hallway. The top was obscured, a few trace rays coming from the window in his bedroom. His foot shuffled almost magnetized.

But the Portal in his hand pulled him back with its glow. He clutched the stone in both hands and warped away in a flash. To the Skylands, where there was more warmth, more light.

Where… Spyro was.

* * *

 **Well, that was a chapter and a half.**

 **Thanks to everyone for the warm Christmas wishes; I forgot to mention the holidays last time. I'm starting to think updates will simply come on Sundays from now on. As for oflynna8 who just reviewed, I will take those songs into consideration, even though I already had an idea of what song to use.**

 **So as you can see secrets are still flowing around on both ends. How long until the truth comes out? As for the scene in the middle, I sort of wrote that out as a montage-like scene in my head. Imagine it with the song "Feels Like Home" from Brother Bear 2 - I thought that one fit so well.**

 **It's mind-boggling to think this will be the last post of 2018. Guess you'll have to wait until next year to find out just what is going on. Whenever someone says it like that, it feels like an impossible wait.**

 **But as always, review, favorite, follow! And Happy New Year!**


	23. Where We Go

Charge ahead and ask questions later was Spyro's best approach. Even for a trip to Master Eon's study.

The invitation had come out of nowhere, from Hugo who looked ecstatic to get started on paperwork of all things. The dragon was airborne and flying off without another word. Not that he wanted to doubt Eon but ever since the exhibition match, he'd been on the tips of his claws with the old sage. In his defense, it was kind of a nasty trick.

Whatever. It only meant a more hardcore prank as payback.

The doors almost burst ahead of time to herald him as he looped into a chair. His scales and wings sank into the red velvet lining the seat, lounging across from Eon. "Let's try and make this quick, Eon. I am ready to get my summer on!"

"Settle down, Spyro. Your summer vacation can wait a few more moments." Eon didn't make eye contact as used to his antics as always. He shuffled papers upon his desk, a bit too focused for the dragon's liking. "I have something… very important to discuss with you, concerning you."

"Well, since we're talking about my favorite subject, how can I resist?"

Eon stood pacing towards the window as he did when in thought. "The matter of the exhibition match – I am sorry it had to be done, but the fact remains it had to be done, to teach you a lesson about your overconfidence. You should not expect true forces of evil to be any easier to handle than that hologram."

So, he was ripping off the band-aid right from the start. With a lecture to boot. It wouldn't be Master Eon otherwise, and because it was him, Spyro was willing to take it in humility.

"It got in a few lucky hits. I had a fool-proof battle strategy going on up here." Spyro tapped his noggin hard, vying for the old wizard's attention if he tapped hare enough.

"I'd like to believe so, but your scores as of late tell me otherwise."

"You know, some classes use a simple fail/not fail system. I like to judge based on that."

"Well, my judgment has led me to believe that things are simply not working out." Eon finally turned to the dragon, the wrinkles on his face multiplied. It was like all the magic had drained away leaving a tired old man at the end of his rope. "I have discussed these matters with the Skylander Sensei and they believe that… I am not fully able to cultivate your talents."

"Wait… what?"

"Spyro, I would like to introduce you to an old friend of mine: King Pen."

Spyro's feeling of the room cracking and spinning was cut by the loud clanking of metal. At the top of the steps was a penguin clad in polished gold armor almost twice his size, knuckles ready to cleave the jaws out of any on the unfortunate end of them. Yet all that weight seemed nonexistent as his steps were calmed, still, as if they would only ripple a pond's surface. His white down matched the clouds outside, floating down the steps to the wizard's side.

This guy had all the class of a warrior, and yet he bowed to Spyro. The armor clanked as he did, but his arms remained at his side, unaffected. "As snowflakes fall from the sky, so do the cherry blossoms fall after. Winter gives way to Spring. Greetings, young Spyro."

The dragon blinked, eye-rolling and shrugging. "Yeah, all I got from that was 'greetings.'"

The penguin's beak curved into a smile. "Eon has told me much about you, now let the cycle flow and let me tell you of us. Eon and I have been allies since the Great War and worked together in founding this Academy. We shared a kinship in understanding philosophy and promoting understanding in others."

"We had very high hopes for this Academy, hopes bolstered by the spirits of others, one such including…." Eon looked wistful, a tear forming in his eye. King Pen's were shut to block the same reaction. "However, I feel that perhaps… this was ultimately not the best environment for you."

"Okay, we're cycling back to that again. Are you guys saying what I think you're saying?"

King Pen bowed before him again. Spyro could understand it was a custom or something but right now it seemed to be more along the lines of softening the blow. "Young dragon, pardon this being so sudden, but I would like to offer you the chance to study under my tutelage. Eon and I have discussed, and it has become clear your studies might become better focused under more individualized attention."

The dragon didn't have any explanation for it, no logical reason of the top of his head, but his inner flame was broiling. Steam was practically coming from his horn tips as he held out his claws. "Hold on! Just rewind a second!"

"Rewind?"

"Earth term, forget about it." Spyro flew above their heads. "This is… a little too good to be true. What's the catch?"

Eon set his hand on Spyro's shoulder bringing the scaly rebel back down to Earth. The old master had a way with the dragon, like a single droplet of rain could somehow calm a wildfire. Though embers were still lingering in Spyro's skeptical glare, the old wizard only matched with a saddened look of his own. Spyro wished he didn't have to see that face on his surrogate father, but he still couldn't place why he was so angry.

"Nothing has been set in stone yet, but it is as we said to you. You will train with King Pen since the environment might have been a factor in your recent underperformance." Master Eon looked away as though feigning ignorance. "I can't truly say what the cause was, but I think it is safe to say no one was pleased with the result."

He knew what the result was. Spyro knew, Elf and Eruptor knew, everyone knew. No one ever had the guts to say it, or the shame if that was what it took. Spyro learned a lot about what shame could do.

"We will not impose this upon you, young Spyro, only recommend it. The final decision shall be up to you."

Somehow, it didn't seem like that.

The whole idea screamed 'summer school' in his head. Worse yet, it seemed like he had been slapped with the crowning sign of a truant and was planned to be sent away where his viral influence couldn't bother any of the more 'focused' students with 'brighter futures.' It wasn't the way the dragon had planned for opportunities of his own to come before him; right now it was his attitude that was giving him a road of no return, rather than skills opening doors.

But what was wrong with that, or him? The side of him that persevered through endless hours of study without even yawning, tied bedsheets together on sleepless nights and snuck out during class wanted to wring his neck till blue mixed in with purple. This was what he had been going for his entire life. He still wanted it. And to train with a Sensei journeying all around the Skylands, seeing every corner of the realm? One more reason for his shadow to catch sneers, whispers and glares like flies. Anyone else would jump at the chance.

…What would Cody think?

"Spyro?"

The dragon, stuck in his last thought, snuffed the flames from his nose. He looked at Master Eon with that nonchalant smile. "You know what… I will get back to you on that?"

"Really?"

Spyro teetered step by step away from Eon. "Yeah, I mean, it's not every day a cadet gets the chance to study abroad with a Sensei of all people. So I'll have my people call your people, we'll do lunch and-"

"I thought I was the one who spoke confusingly." King Pen's flipper brushed his down in thought.

"More Earth talk. But, uh, made a lot of good selling points. I might just decide to pack my bags right now. I better be off." Spyro raised his wings ahead. Right until the moment his tail brushed the old wood of the door he kept his face on the two wizened warriors. There was still respect but handing out rewards like punishments made the dragon wary.

"Very good. Oh, and Spyro?" The dragon shocked back to about-face with Eon. "I still haven't gotten back those extra Traptanium Crystals. Be sure to handle that, would you?"

"I am all over it. Traptanium Crystals, back to you."

Spyro slammed the door behind with a snap of the claw at lightning speed. Just as quick he took to the air and soared over the islands back to their campus house. He kept his guard checking over his shoulder just in case Eon had done anything as crude as stick a spy near them or use some magical tracking spell. Once in the clear, he grinned.

"As soon as we're done with them."

* * *

"Ms. Bryant, please come see me in my office." A voice spoke to the brown-skinned, bespectacled girl in a hushed yet haughty tone.

"'Office' is a rather strong term. This is Ms. Wade's classroom. And we're both in the same room."

Anne assessment was accurate, as they usually were. The room was a board of order, perfectly scored test copied onto the walls and a tapestry of the alphabet in perfect alignment. Not a speck of ink was on the whiteboard, and the inside and undersides of desks were arranged as though waiting for new students still. AC ran through the room keeping it frigid to match the heat stirring outside, at a constant temperature that never shifted a point off balance. Mallory had ensured everything as such, or else students and teachers would have reckonings.

"Observant, regardless of the unnecessary wit," Mallory braided her fingers together. "I have use for that."

Anne had to keep her glasses straight after the hand that ran down her face. "Really, another one of your 'progress reports?' And on the verge of the summer break? I can think of a far more productive use of this time, such as reviewing my geometry."

"Your grade advancement exams can wait. There is a student I would like you to review."

"Let me wager an educated guess: the Evans boy who transferred near the end of the term?"

Anne noted how hairs sprung out of the place of the council president's otherwise-perfect head of auburn hair. Logic had no such place or say in how she seethed at the mention of the boy. All that was mentioned in his file regarding his long absence was 'personal matters.' Though it had been said her 'superior' cared little for matters outside her knowing. Especially the matter of his grade point average.

Mallory raked her hair back into form clearing her throat. "Surely someone with a high-school level education such as yourself can see the abnormalities. A home-schooled boy transferring in near the end of the semester gaining a sudden spike in grades just as the term ends?"

"Given his scores prior, it is strange. Perhaps it was extra help from Ms. Phillips who was tutoring him." Honestly, she couldn't care less. "If there is a concern, why not discuss it with her?"

"Ms. Phillips is unavailable for the summer. His guardian was also unable to be reached. Hence why I asked you."

"With all due respect, Ms. Leichter, I intend to make use of every iota of time I have for my studies. My goals are college, a degree, top honors in the fields of science and mathematics." Anne had made use of every inch of her allowance for textbooks, notebooks, pencils, and every study material she could find. She'd hoped to set a record for how long it would take to solve the Pythagorean Theorem. "Nowhere in my plans for the next five years are me playing spy for you or wasting my time thinking about other people in general. Most would agree with me on that note."

Mallory rose and slammed her hands on the teacher's desk. "This is a vital matter!"

"A new student received good grades on a test. In a normal world, that would be considered a good thing."

Whatever helped her chances of moving ahead. St. Masters Academy, as the name implied, was a private school where even the most disobedient truant was spat out as a model student aiming for top institutions. Becoming the council president as Mallory did was no small feat, though her father's donations to the school didn't hurt her position either. Her chances then, would only be raised higher, being at the top of her class. She preferred to be sure of that, though.

Mallory settled, for once playing the part of a normal student. "Look, I have… reason for this. I wouldn't be wasting either of our time otherwise."

"True. Even you're not that obsessive."

Her peer smiled a dangerous smile. Her comment would not be without repercussions.

"Your grades have been at the top of the class since your enrollment, Ms. Anne Bryant. Add to that your perfect attendance and participation and you are the model of the perfect student."

"Of course... Perfect." Anne exhaled.

"If memory serves, you enrolled at the school for the good credit it would add to your transcripts. I can put in a good word with the teachers to perhaps… add in a few letters of recommendation as well." Her smile went rigid, almost with a steel to it. Anne swore she could see the fangs glisten between her lips. "Applicants to schools like Harvard or Yale, I hear are well involved with the student body and council. Very well involved."

Harvard, Yale, the schools of tomorrow's Nobel's Prize Winners. A shrewd play.

"Very well."

"I knew you were smart. That's why I made you my assistant." She tapped on her phone. Anne received a notification on hers for a text with her president's phone number. "I expect to hear news by the end of the week."

Anne nodded and walked out the door. Her heels clacked almost driving holes in the school hallway floor. Recommendations were nothing without the grades to back them, and hers would be in jeopardy playing spy for a council president with a grudge. She had to get out of this.

Too much depended on it.

* * *

 **Here we are with the first chapter of 2019! Hope everyone had a god New Year's celebration.**

 **The plot thickens with these occurrences. I think this scene with Spyro and the last one with Cody are important because even though they are finally taking the right steps with each other, they are held back still by those mistaken ways of thinking. Spyro still wants to leave the Academy, Cody wants to stay in his room forever. At the same time, outside forces are working to make things worse.**

 **The next chapter features another step in the right direction. It's another scene I've been looking forward to writing.**

 **In the meantime, let's go to the reviews. This is overdue:**

 **Crazyloop8888** **: The friendship was something I was really looking forward to writing. I wanted to do a lot more in this field, but I think I've learned moderation makes for more of an impact. As for his mother, well it sounds like you might have an inkling already. I'll keep it secret until later.**

 **TheCP** **: You would be correct in your assumption. As the saying goes, 'be wary of smiling faces.'**

 **BookWriter94** **: Hence the title 'Secrets and Lies'. Things are connected and those connections will come to light. Fun and games are coming for now, but so is danger.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: Glad you're still reading along. Cody's family, well, there is this tension as you saw. His mother's death really made an impact, and next chapter you'll find out just how much. Leichter has some things about him that are the truth, but he has secrets as well that are justified in his mind. As is the case with most people.**

 **General TigerDragon** **: That would be something to be explored in a side fanfic. I have nothing like that planned here. And sorry I haven't been addressing your messages. I'll get to them.**

 **Anyway, lots of feels are on the way, and who knows what else. Look forward to next week's post. As always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	24. Loners

_The two of us, we didn't make sense to anyone else. One look and anyone could see we were as different as the worlds we came from._

 _We even thought that ourselves. Who knew how we made it work in the end?_

 _That's why I think of that day fondly. For all our differences didn't matter. We were finally finding out what we had in common._

Summer had kicked off in full force, and the thermostat proved it. It was busting all its digital workings just to keep the house a chilly haven compared to outside where the lawns could burst into flames.

Cody had drawn the curtains closed to keep the sunlight from doing the same to his bedsheets. At least that was the reason he was telling himself. Spyro, his 'partner' – the world still had such a strange sound to it – was by his side wrestling with the strings of his guitar. The lack of light in the room had muted their colors, violets and whites muted in the shade, turning them oblivious to one another.

Spyro fumbled with the pick in between his claws, cascading between each talon. He'd argued his claws alone could strum the steel strings, but Katelyn and Elf had argued one or the other might come out scathed. Spyro gave his smug grin then with the girls' claim to bolster his ego. It might have been more to spare the instrument being damaged.

It was a fine piece, red and white and glimmering even in the dark. The dragon caught onto his pick and strummed, his sounds growing slightly more bearable to his ear. "So… Oh, yeah! Think I'm finally getting this thing. Sweet riff!"

"Uh-huh, that was… great."

He gave his best smile, tired as he was. The events of the other day with his mother's 'old friend' still rubbed him down like the worst heat wave of the summer could only try.

"Come on, kick it up a notch with the praise, why don't ya!" Spyro was as energetic as ever, swerving in the air. He'd gotten guitar riffing down, if nothing else in terms of music. "Ladies know they love a dragon shredding like nobody's business."

"Sorry… you're coming along." Cody gripped his white sweatshirt. "I still can't even-"

"So I'm thinking we kick the show off with some pyrotechnics, an epic guitar solo, something to stick in their minds for the next few centuries. Something special!" His ruby eyes glittered.

"Right… special."

Cody was really not caring for that word at the moment.

Spyro continued his playing like on a stage with the entire world to bask in his talent, as he'd put it. The boy noticed the dragon seemed happy, happier than he'd been in weeks, maybe a little too happy. It was just a feeling, something he'd learned not to put too much stock in, but the way Spyro strummed strings in a blur of purple was as though he was trying to claw the gift in half. He strummed harder and harder, though his guitar maintained the same sour sound.

"Man, just can't get this note right. That one little-" At this rate, the guitar might crumple in his claws, and as hard as it was to imagine, that would sound worse. "Come on! I got it! I can handle this. Just a little- seriously!? I don't need this right now!"

The happy was gone, like clouds burning away in heat. "Spyro, it's fine. We'll talk to Katelyn and-"

"No, I can fix this on my own! I don't need anyone's help!"

Cody held his hands calmingly. "Katelyn offered to give us help if we had problems. Maybe someone can… tune it."

"I said I got it! This has to go perfect so I can-"

"Spyro?" The once mild-mannered, lax, cocky, cool-at-all-times Spyro was showing his hidden Eruptor.

"Gah!"

Just as the lava creature would, Spyro exploded. Though his eruption came as a fling of the pick at breaking speed across the room. Cody only barely ducked, but at the sound of a crash, he wish he hadn't.

Both gasped at the unfortunate memento that took the impact instead.

He would have gladly taken the blow – it would have only meant a bump on the head anyway. Seeing his precious photo, the one of him and his family, on the ground with the frame and glass in pieces, hurt a thousand times worse. Cody ran to the photo, feeling his heat shatter several times over with every shard of glass he shuffled into his palms. He breathed and winced as they dug into his skin.

Spyro was at his side at an instant. "Cody, I-I'm so sorry! I ruined your-" But seeing the photo, he stopped, recognizing a face not even Cody himself did. "Wait, is that you? And those other people, that's your dad and…"

Don't say it.

Don't even say the word. Cody couldn't take it.

He couldn't even look as his voice, withered and cracking like the glass, wisped across. "Why is this so important to you? I thought you just wanted to have fun. I thought… things were okay."

"They are! I mean, between us they are! We're cool, we're… really cool. It's just…" Spyro's voice took the same turn, something that was so unusual in the dragon he thought he was finally getting to know. What's more he turned away, unable to face him unless he was the winner of some internal battle. It was something Cody expected more of… himself.

"What's going on?"

The dragon sighed the heaviest sigh he could, almost like he breathed flame. "Eon talked to me before summer break. About heading out and training with Master King Pen in the Arctic Isles. I've never been there before."

"That's great, isn't it? I remember you were excited about seeing new places when we met."

"Yeah, but not like this! I always thought, if I was gonna head out, it'd be on my own terms. Though, I guess to a lot of people, it doesn't matter either way."

"What do you mean?"

Spyro drifted on winds warm with frustration away from him onto the bed. He still looked away, grappling on with himself over whether to speak. He breathed in and clutched the fabric of Cody's bedsheets, then sighed. Cody wasn't sure if he'd won or not when the dragon spoke again.

"You think I don't know that no one at the Academy likes me? That they think I'm a spoiled brat with a silver spoon between my fangs? Even Elf and Eruptor, and that's after years of us 'getting along.' It's not like I asked Eon to pick me up and raise me to be a Skylander!"

Cody turned to him. "But… don't you want to be a Skylander?"

"Of course I do. It's all I've ever wanted in life, since I knew I could want anything. And it seemed like it was just something I was meant to have. That's what ticks people off." Spyro draped his wings around himself. "The thing is, maybe that's why there's something else. Ever since I was hatched it felt like I was… waiting for something.

I've been at that dumb school all my life and I haven't found it. That's why I have to get out there and find it myself."

"And that's why… this show…"

The dragon turned back to him giving his best smile, though the sadness was there, clear as day. "Just call it a last farewell performance. They already think I'm some hot-aired nimrod, so might as well go out that way. No regrets. Still, I do want it to be… special."

That word again.

"You okay?"

"Special. Someone I knew was special." He stood with the photo free from its broken case in his hand, trapped by the memory in it. It nearly drifted from his hand. "If that's what you're looking for… then I don't think you should play with me."

"Cody… I asked because I wanted you there. Elf and E are okay, but you, you're…"

Worthless, troublesome, a plague, anything along those lines. Those were the words he knew to best describe himself, rattling in his head for five years. He had to think that of him at the start with all his dreams and how Cody let him run into a dead end or was that dead end at various points. He'd wanted to say sorry so many times.

There was something in the air along with all the dust the light exposed floating around. It lifted as if taking matter with it, the room so in need of cleaning and attention fading away leaving only them. It stung at his eyes, or at least he assumed that in place of whatever was welling from the hole in his stomach. Whatever compelled Spyro to admit his darkest feelings that he'd show to no one else, Cody felt just the same.

"Five years ago, my mom passed away… She'd spent a year in the hospital, and we lost her around my birthday. It was the single most devastating experience of my life, but…" He clutched the photo close to his chest. "What made it worse was the massive downward spiral that came with it."

Was he really doing this? Now of all times? And to a dragon from another world of all things? He wandered around the room trailing dust on his finger. Polished wood, metal, the walls, all frigid to the touch and turning his finger grey with collected dirt. The boy looked to his tip and anywhere else besides the dragon who no doubt had questions.

"The rest of my family was there on her last day. I was young, and it was… a mess. They got angry, my dad snapped, and I guess someone said something to push someone over the edge. From that day on, my family cut off any and all contact with us."

"I'm really sorry. I didn't know… but at least you had your dad." The dragon's voice was… comforting.

Cody shook his head.

"What?" He whispered.

"He passed it off as work piling around the office. 'A police chief's work is never done,' he said. But I wasn't stupid.

First it was coming home super late, separate meals, a can of beer here and there." He swallowed the lump that bobbed up to the surface for whatever time. "Then it was never coming home at all, no calls to check up, and let's just say we've built a bit of a beer fund. And… me…"

"He just left you alone?"

"It's not like he had to worry. I didn't leave the house at all, not since mom died. In fact, they started calling me a shut-in."

It was all coming back to him, as if a dream forgotten in his constant days of sleep.

"I stopped going to school or seeing anyone I knew. Ms. Phillips was a friend of my mom so she took it on herself to help me. She helped me keep up my studies. But I'm nothing but trouble."

People had wasted so much of their time on him, when they should have just left him in his house. He was fine, never leaving – most people were making accommodations to do the same these days. Cody could use mail-order groceries, buy pizza in case he never got hungry. In those first couple of years he couldn't even leave his room without mustering up some unnatural force of will or just an empty stomach. He'd learned how to cook and clean, keep things nice.

But never once did he take a step outside, beyond the doorway. Never once did he try to see other people, no matter how much Ms. Phillips prodded him to do so. From his window he'd watched the sun and moon cycle in a dance too fast for the eye in years, time slipping like rain from his fingers. It could continue to do so and he would be there, in his room.

Forgotten, alone, but fine.

Or at least, he thought so. Cody was back to his bed ready to return to that sleep. Ready to drift into the dark and silence as he did in all that time.

"Hey, you are not trouble, came Spyro's voice, with a claw on his shoulder. Cody wasn't sure which was more surprising. "If anything, I was – just ask anybody at SA and they'll agree. But I'm the loveable kind of trouble, say that and you might get mixed reactions."

Cody said nothing.

"You've had it really rough."

"Not any more or less than you. We just have our own kinds of loneliness."

"Well, maybe we can be lonely together?" Cody's green eyes locked with his red ones. Neither pair strayed from the other. "Staying in one place will drive you bonkers eventually; I speak from experience. And since the exhibition, I've been thinking a little company sometimes… goes a long way. Especially if it's the right kind."

"I guess." Spyro's left wing draped over him. For whatever reason, a smile cracked. "But then… it's not really being lonely."

"Oh, yeah. Guess it isn't."

Spyro chuckled. The sun seeped in from between the curtains, summer heat mixed into the AC running into the bedroom. Hot and cold in extremes, but in that one center, it was just right.

"Um, shouldn't we practice?"

"We got time. Lots of time."

* * *

"Couldn't have been summer school or at least detention."

Jason McKenneth, number-one bad boy troublemaker at St. Masters, was spending the first few days of summer hiding behind a tree. Waiting for a bunch of kids to come out of hiding. How did it come to this?

Oh right. It was when she popped up on his doorstep.

.

" _What's St. Master's prize brainiac doing on my front porch, studying mold?"_

 _Even in a heat wave Texas and the Sahara could be jealous at, Anne Bryant, number one in grades and anything school-related, came in that pristine lab coat. She was so composed it was like she didn't have sweat glands at all. The girl only adjusted her glasses to show her ears were still working._

" _Don't think it's a social call for one moment. I have need of you." She strode in with composed smugness._

 _Jason shut the door behind her and leaned on it. He stood before the AC liking the feel of the wind. "If it's for a study buddy I think it's clear to us both you could have picked better. Plus you didn't answer my question."_

" _Phone numbers and addresses are requirements for student records, if you weren't aware." Anne dusted the sofa and coffee table before she sat. Clearly her lab coat wouldn't care for the soiled seat where a delinquent sat. It was said germs and geniuses didn't mix, he thought with a smile. "And it's as I said before, and I do not like to repeat myself."_

 _Jason's smile vanished, as quick as it showed up._

" _You basically want me to play chaperone. Why not do it yourself? It'd do your participation mark wonders."_

" _My mark doesn't need it as badly as yours does," she said. "I've spoken with Mallory and we've made arrangements should you agree."_

" _Sorry, but I don't get as freaked out over a bad report card as some others do."_

" _Like your parents? I'd assume yours still hold some control over you. More than the school, anyway." Her hand slipped in her pocket and pulled out a series of photos. Two kids who he couldn't care less about, and one more. "Follow these students, report any strange activity, and the slate will be wiped clean. Even you can see the win-win here."_

 _He snagged the photos from her. With a half-second long glance he committed their faces to memory and jammed them into his pocket with a growl._

" _Whatever."_

.

It wasn't like it was beneath him, spying on people, looking for weaknesses. School or the rest of the world was a battlefield, according to the men of his family. He decided to go for the tactical advantage of climbing into the nearest tree. Voices were approaching by the time he'd latched onto the lowest branch. Jason swung himself into the thick of the leaves landing atop the sturdiest branch overhead.

Perfect timing, as the princess and pinata-brain strode in talking to each other. The oddest couple anyone did see.

"Come on, I've heard explosions quieter than the foodie over there. Speak up." He creeped along the branch to get a better listen. At his angle their forms came into view, along with… him.

"Great, pipsqueak's here too." He muttered.

"Trouble… concert…" were the only words he could catch.

"Concert? Since when does pipsqueak play?"

True to form for a rich girl, the princess must have felt her ears burning as she darted her head around. Already it was a mission compromised. Jason ducked his head into the thicket before she could fix her pearly eyeballs on him.

.

"Is something wrong?" Cody asked.

Katelyn swerved beneath her large-rimmed white summer hat, complete with a green bow atop. "I could have sworn I heard something just now. Maybe just my imagination."

"When I use my imagination, I think of parties with giant tamales and burritos and lots of salsa!" Pablo jumped in with a sleeveless bright-red tank top and shorts coated in grease. A sign he'd stopped at every food truck on the way.

"Anyway, maybe we should find somewhere else to practice. They're going to be cleaning that stuff up for a while."

"I can't believe the entire arena was covered in goo like that." Katelyn swiped her green dress of any stray speck of grime. The princess's key-tar was slung in a pink-jewel encrusted sling over her shoulder, polished with a glittering emerald coating. Jason remembered seeing it from those days she deigned to let her fingers touch something that wasn't gold. "Professor Jet-Vac said it could have been a Doom Raider attack. The whole festival could be canceled."

"Bummer for Spyro. He really wanted to rock out!"

Pablo had a set of drumstick sticking out his back pocket like a red flag, for as much as he must have nonsensically wanted, the world had not yet found a simple way to make a drum set portable. More importantly, who was this 'Spyro' guy?

"Everybody does. Honestly, I… really want to do this too. I don't want to let Spyro down."

Jason blinked. That was a gutsy thing to say, for him.

The princess touched his hand on his shoulder like they were old chums. "And we won't, not him or Stealth Elf or Eruptor. We will practice, we will go up on stage, and we will deliver a marvelous performance."

Stealth Elf? Eruptor? Were these code names or something?

"What the heck are they talking about? I give up my vacation just to find out pipsqueak's got a secret band going on!?" He reached for his phone and tossed it forward, catching it with his other hand. He sat on the branch and fingered the screen to the dial pad. His contact list was near empty.

His thumb hovered over the numbers. "Give me a break. What was Ms. Brainiac's number again?"

"Let's get going. I'm sure one of the classrooms is open."

"What?"

Jason turned away from a light like the sun on the ground. It came from the three new besties on the ground, all over a glow coming from Cody. It became brighter, stirring up winds with leaves that exposed him from his place. He gasped, falling from the tree, too overcome by the light to feel any pain.

"What the-HEY!"

* * *

 **And so we come to the end of another one.**

 **The first scene was something I was really looking forward to writing because it was such an important scene between Spyro and Cody. They learn that there is a common link between them. There are people in their lives who are aware of their problems to some degree. However, this is the first time they are talking about those problems to someone else; that shows a great degree of trust. Trust is the foundation of any relationship.**

 **As for the second scene, well, what do you think? Potential new ally?**

 **Anyway, let's get to the comments:**

 **Crazyloop8888** **: In a sense, things are difficult for them both. It's coming to a point where they are starting to realize they don't want what they thought they wanted. That's how it goes in a character arc.**

 **Stephanieeiche10** **: That's great to hear. Just be sure to take care of those things. A laptop is not cheap.**

 **TheCP** **: Did I really give off that vibe? I don't know about that, but there is a common secret between a lot of these people. And sorry I didn't get to use your song ideas. I did check them out, but they were a little specific in terms of their lyrics and so didn't specifically work. Besides, it was more about the bonding to begin with.**

 **Bookwriter94** **: If you think that's interesting, then you better brace yourself for what happens next.**

 **Anyway, that wraps it up. As always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	25. Logic & Reasoning

The three Portal Masters beamed into the Skylands with a cool breeze to greet them. Despite summer's heat, the Academy always maintained a perfect temperature. Their partners waited for them at the front yard of the dorms, all with their instruments sporting an eager sheen.

Spyro was the first to fly up and meet with the kids. "Welcome to the party fellow band members! All right, Spyro and the Kids, let's get this jam session started."

"Okay, yeah, we are not calling ourselves that." Stealth Elf said.

"I feel as though you may have came up with that on the spot." Katelyn muttered with a roll of the eye.

"Did we ever even vote on a band name? I feel like this should be a group decision." Eruptor muttered flaring up. The lava creature stomped forward, or bumbled with an entire drum set beneath his arms.

"It was between that and the Saucy Pinatas," Spyro frowned at the three votes of criticism. "Three guesses as to who came up with that."

"Maybe we should worry about the band name later." Cody, always the last to walk up and always the last to speak, kept true to form from behind the others. "We have a lot of practicing to do. And… I still need to find an instrument."

Katelyn had her key-tar and Pablo had his drums. Stealth Elf, being the silent type, had picked a bass as her instrument once her heiress partner had pointed out its subtle addition to any song. Eruptor had joined Pablo on drums once bashing something could apply to music as well. So, lead guitar, bass, key-tar, drums… that was a whole band right there. There was nothing left, nothing he could add. Pursing his lips, he looked away and wondered if that was a good thing.

The shifting of wings at his side turned him back to Spyro who was now at his side. The dragon made no look back at him, yet his wingtips left a graceful brush on his shoulders. Part of the 'cool guy' bit, he supposed.

"Yeah, bit of an issue there. Classrooms are all locked up for the summer. That leaves the dorms where it'll be two notes and a noise complaint, or town where we didn't leave the best impression."

"Yeah… 'we' didn't."

Eruptor's level stare belied the rise in temperature caking Cody's purple shirt with a dark stain from sweat.

"On the bright side, we did get free tap water for a year for saving the restaurant." Pablo noted. "Or was that paying in tap water?"

"Master Eon's off for his summer beard yoga session. And the teachers are all off on missions," said Elf. "Maybe we should head back to Katelyn's house to practice?"

"No worries, girlfriend. I got you covered."

The wind turned chilly, the kind of feeling one got when something was behind them and yet nothing at all. That refreshing breeze turned cold like ice. In a swirl of smog, the familiar pink bow and blue locks atop a floating head was there before them. She flashed a smile with a metal edge beyond her braces.

"Dreamcatcher?"

Spyro caught the quiet breath from his partner. The half-step back set an alert as well. "Cody? Something up?"

"N-no… nothing…"

Pablo grabbed Dreamcatcher's cheeks and leaned in, brown face to blue face. "O-M-G, girlfriend! You got the deets on a hot new rehearsal spot! Spill, I am totes listening! Question though, does it come with built in refreshments? Let me know so I can pack my emergency chip and dip ration!"

The head moved away as if repulsed by the touch. The way she glared at Pablo's energy made Cody see for a brief second a look of disgust to show that. That seemed… more natural on her than any smile she'd wear.

Of course, she slipped back into that dream-like state of a smile.

"You guys heard of Krankcase's old factory? The one that got shut down after he got taken in by the Skylanders?" She hovered around them like an ill wind stirring at their feet. The chill came back creeping through the boy's bare legs. "There's some killer acoustics there. Might be what you need to make this hot mess get some rhythm."

"Wow!" Eruptor shouted. "...Wait a minute."

"Are you sure that's safe? Dr, Klankcase is still on the loose, or so we've heard? They've yet to capture him."

"Yeah, Katelyn has a good point." Stealth Elf agreed. "Wouldn't he try and pick up where he left off at his old haunting grounds?"

"Pfft. What are the odds of that happening? Like, hello? Obvious hideout, much?"

Cody tried to say more, but air only came out as he opened and shut his mouth repeatedly. From there it was wringing his clothes and every inch of bare skin for words that were escaping him. There was logic in what was being said, that Krankcase would only be asking for an arrest if he found such an obvious hiding place. The fact that it was coming from Dreamcatcher: someone he had a long time to know as someone with spiteful words and deeper meanings to them.

What was the right answer?

Spyro seemed to have an idea floating up beside the head. That familiar glint of rebellion was in his eyes again.

"The floating head raises a good point. Krankcase is probably miles away so we can sneak in and get to practice." He clenched his talons in that way he did. "And if he does turn out to be there… well, we'll see what happens from there."

Elf crossed her arms. She knew where things were going too. "See what happens. That's a little vague for my liking."

"Why Elf, I don't know what you're talking about."

The elf ninja yanked him by the tail and brought him to eye -level for a stare-down to drag his intentions out of him. "Oh, I think you do. Old habits die hard, and yours are outright immortal. Spyro, if you're hoping to take on another Doom Raider after every-"

The dragon only shoved her back. "Elf, Elf, where's the trust? I'm in it for the band. Seriously, just the band. I'm just saying if worst comes to worst…"

Cracks were forming again. Even now when everything was fine, when their band was finally getting along.

The head above was smiling at the winds of tension stirring. Was this her plan all along?

"Stealth Elf… it's fine. We can handle things." He just spoke what he could.

Both parties looked at him, no doubt catching the bead of sweat rolling down his face. Now that he was the center of attention amongst everyone, they saw it too. His voice had rung out as a thunderclap to stop anything before it started. Dreamcatcher's moth went level, undecided between a grin or frown.

Elf only looked at him cautiously. "If you're sure…"

But he wasn't. She was wise to give that look.

* * *

"I feel like Dreamcatcher could have mentioned the forest of yellow tape!"

Eruptor's voice rang out for the whole party, Spyro surmised.

Sitting atop a lake of glowing green slime was the factory, metal walls corroding and oozing the same liquid. The tape barring entry looked to be almost holding the place together, especially from how metal groaned and the team swore together something collapsed and crashed. The smoke stacks stopped emitting smoke due to holes along their surfaces, but the pungent smell of mechanical decay remained. There was also the odor from the lake itself, like every smelly thing in the universe was thrown into a cauldron and that was the result.

Elf stopped at the lines of tape arranged perfectly straight, only a half-step away. "Maybe everyone else had the same idea about Dr. Klankcase. If anything, he's definitely not getting in here."

"Though, neither are we…" Katelyn coughed. The stench was making her face turn as green as that frilly skirt she was wearing. "Maybe we should go back to my house to practice. I can have the maids cover for any details."

Spyro flew up over the barrier. As if a few flimsy rolls of tape were going to keep him away. Though his hyper-sensitive nostrils were puffing fire out just to keep the smell from going in so that might have been enough of a ward. He swerved his head looking for any entry both free of slime and tape.

But the search was cut short when his just-as-amazing ears overheard the kids at ground level.

"What's up mi amigo? Thinking about the pest way to ingest five pizzas in one sitting? Just me?"

"Dreamcatcher… I don't think we can trust her."

"What do you mean, Cody? She's a cadet just like us. Then again…"

He'd wanted to agree with Katelyn's word, on the basis of Skylanders being synonymous with heroes, but he didn't. Spyro was learning the ins and outs of being a good friend, just as Cody was learning to trust his instinct. Frankly, not listening to Cody in the past led to more than a few bruises.

Besides, Dreamcatcher… Spyro had to admit something was off with her.

"About face cadets!"

Speaking of off things. Well, not off so much as just plain unwelcome.

In dramatic, soldier-like entrance came Jet-Vac on his propulsion system. The dragon didn't want to say jetpack as that would just be too easy. Complete opposite to how the grumpy old bird-man made their lives stepping forward no nonsense or imperfection in his step. He cast a critical eye on all of them but fell back home on the dragon as he landed alongside his partner.

"Well, well, if it isn't the talk of the Academy! Don't think a few scrapes of wins against Doom Raiders grants you any special privileges. State your business."

"Chill, guys. I got this." Spyro gave his standard mock salute to please the old Skylander. "JV, my man. Always a pleasure. I see you've been keeping busy, as have we. We have your businesses, and perhaps you might allow us to step inside to handle said business."

"No can do, cadet." He jabbed a talon in his scales. No pain, but that was beside the point. "You've had your fun tangling with criminals, now leave this to the professionals."

"But you're training us to become professionals, so can't that include-"

"No, don't even try to smooth-talk your way through this! I may not be as spry as I used to be but I'll shave my down if you think I'm going to let you do as you please around a potential Doom Raider hideaway."

"Professor Jet-Vac." Cody piped up, walking to his side. "Do you really think Dr. Krankcase would come back here?"

"I am a veteran Skylander, Cadet Cody. My experience shows a villain always returns to the scene of the crime."

"It just doesn't seem likely that-"

This time the talon of judgment was pointed at Cody. "That'll be enough of that! Run along and do what you humans do in the summertime."

Given that he was small and more frail than your standard cadet, it did force him back. Just seeing that got a different kind of fire going on in Spyro, like his flame turning in on his insides. He didn't like it, almost as much as he didn't like seeing the boy nearly shoved.

"Whoa, hold up, JV. He was just trying to give a suggestion. No need to get your feathers ruffled," the dragon said with a little more edge than intended.

Jet-Vac turned back on him. On any other day where he would have been as dodgy as a leaf in the breeze, this time he stared his instructor head-on. Spyro huffed embers from his nostrils, surprising him but not overpowering his ire.

"I've been a Skylander for a very long time. Takes a lot more than some rogue dragon and questioning kid to get my feathers ruffled. Now run along all of you." The bird-man shot off. The group nearly choked on his dust and watched him become a white speck in the sky.

"No go there." Eruptor said.

"Geez, what was his deal?" Spyro spat fire hoping to nail the bird-man between the thrusters. What was his own deal?

"He is a very busy man. We shouldn't intrude here anymore." Katelyn was quick to speak for the group unruffling her skirt. "My house it is, then."

Cody nodded without a word and triggered the Portal. It was back to the scorching but still breathable air of a human world in summer. Gathering their things the group raced to the mansion on the block where luxury and a day of music waited to take their mind off of everything.

Though there was one lingering fact no one accounted for or knew. Another boy who slid from behind a tree with waterfalls of sweat dripping down black hair in place of no breath. His green eyes were wide like saucers.

"What… did I just see?"

* * *

"When I said 'status update,' I'd have preferred a simple text and not a marathon!"

"Just shut up and keep running!"

Anne had only a few seconds of patience with McKenneth's 'move and don't ask questions' policy. She was in the midst of a chapter in her geometry book when he pounded on her door and clamped onto her wrist the second she opened it. Now in a white shirt, yellow skirt and the future by five minutes they were in a clearing of trees.

No matter how fascinating the effects of photosynthesis were as the sunlight turned green synthesizing through the filter of leaves, two thins remained clear. The heat remained intolerable, and exposure to this much nature might have been having an effect on her sinuses. Oxygen was not all that was being produced.

She gave as small as sneeze as she could as the running finally stopped. McKenneth had brought her to a clearing in the forest, or so it appeared. He yanked her behind the nearest tree and pushed her head down looking out.

"It's here," he near-whispered. "They-they meet here before they go… warping over there!"

Anne pulled her head out, twigs and leaf bits already entangled in her auburn hair and pigtails. "Really now, Mr. McKenneth. Is this your idea of a prank? Your record is spotty enough."

"I'm serious! There was, there was dragons and elves and bird-men."

"Oh, my…"

"There was a floating head and a lava monster and goo everywhere!"

"No genetically-altered marsupials and fire-breathing turtle monsters to boot?"

He turned to her. Through her maladjusted glasses she could see the confusion splattered all over his face. "There probably were for all I know!"

Anne merely set her glasses straight and cleaned her hair of debris. It once again fell on her to be the level-headed person in the conversation. Her time bided as Mallory's assistant had trained her as such.

"Mr. McKenneth, I am well aware this is a less than ideal situation for either of us, but fantasy stories brought about by some odd combination of heat stroke and attitude will not free either of us from it."

"You told me to tell you what's going on and I told you! If you don't believe me, fine!" He pulled her back into the bushes and leaned out again. "Just wait here. They said they were going to meet up."

"Oh, really. If I have to sacrifice any of my study time to indulge in this-"

"Shh!"

She scoffed. He was persistent, that was for sure.

"I don't know how pipsqueak is pulling this off, but it's all him."

"'Pipsqueak…' you mean Mr. Evans. If I recall, you have a history with him. You were classmates during kindergarten?"

The files had shown as much. Once upon a time McKenneth and Evans attended the same school – their teacher would have best described them as 'acquaintences'. Not much was different of their personalities then from what they were today – McKenneth was still aloof and Evans was shy as a church mouse. One day, something had happened, and Evans dropped out of public school, never to be heard from again. Until some months ago, that is.

"Yeah. Pretty much." He almost sounded thoughtful, a change from his usual self. "You leave a kid alone for five years and he starts making friends with dragons and elves."

"That again. Listen now-"

"Here it comes!"

A flash came before her eyes, magnified by her lenses. The group of suspects must have appeared from the faint glimpse of silhouettes among the light. But soon they, the trees, and her on arm vanished into nothing.

"W-w-what is…"

And when it cleared, not all of those things were still there.

She blinked. Her arm was there, as was McKenneth in front of her. Evans and his party had disappeared. When she turned behind her, it appeared the ground did as well. She was staring at an alleyway in front and the edge of a cliff at her back, with only pure sky below.

"IT'S. FLOATING. IN. THE AIR…" She gaped.

"I tried to tell you!" McKenneth's voice shouted with newfound volume.

"This… what is this!? An island in the sky!? There's no propulsion system, no means of levitation, no power source! It's only rock!" She power-paced grasping her head. "There is no logic at all. I want there to be logic! I need there to be logic!"

"I'm afraid logic for you must be at a paramount." A polite voice captured their attention, though that politeness was lost with the addition of the eerie echo and their new surroundings. Anne let out an undignified yelp while McKenneth grabbed the slingshot in his back pocket. Both pairs of eyes darted around the narrow space looking for the source, their only hint being a faint series of clacks along the walls.

"My goodness, how far you little children have roamed away. This will not do, not at all."

"Who's there?" Anne cried. McKenneth stretched his slingshot's band.

The clacks grew louder, echoing along with the voice. "A fellow scientist such as yourself, with a wealth of curiosity. Perhaps we can help one another to understand."

"Come out of hiding if you really want to make 'friends!'" McKenneth shouted.

Their new friend did as asked. He appeared from above their heads, his features coming into view from the daylight obscuring him. His only tie to the gentlemanly voice he had was a red top hat and suit. That was lost next to his more defining crooked smile with misaligned teeth on a sickly green face.

Though what stood out more were his mechanical spider legs with which he stuck to the walls. He stared fixated on them, his grin growing wider and more manic. Anne screamed, falling back.

McKenneth stammered. "Okay… forget I asked."

"Hey, doc… what do we got here?" A gruff voice called.

He leapt down, far less inviting than his friend attempted to be. A wolf-man covered in coarse hair with chains and spikes like some ruffian heavy-metal singer. His impact broke the ground, his claw catching rocks and crushing them in his grip. He snarled, drool forming from between the lips with a ravenous glare.

"What appears to be a couple of intruders. Although perhaps they can be useful as pawns… or at the very least experiments…"

"Right. You'll be helping the good doc. Right, girlie?" Anne gasped. His claw lunged for her and she could only hope she wouldn't meet the same fate as the rock. He pulled her towards his snout.

"You want a little sense? Clearly you ain't got none if you go wandering up to Doom Raiders!"

The two ran, the wolf hefting her over his shoulder. She screamed again carried off into the distance. Her last view was of McKenneth running into the street after her and her captors.

"No! Anne!"

* * *

 **Well, who can say if anyone's logic was good here.**

 **We all know Cody and the others might be on the right track about Dreamcatcher, but as for Jason and Anne just randomly following the team and running into Doom Raiders? Yeah, who knows. But things always become that much more complicated with a hostage, don't you think?**

 **Anyways, thanks to everyone who's been reading thus far. Here's to your reviews:**

 **Crazyloop8888** **: I have never heard of the term 'thunder buddy' before this, likely because I never saw Ted. But yeah, I guess that's what it's turning into. As for Jason, well, I'll leave the matter of what becomes of him to your imagination.**

 **General TigerDragon** **: Krankcase and Wolfgang are going rogue right now. A scene from past chapters shows they're not in full alignment with Golden Queen's 'bide your time' strategy.' Whatever move they make, they make It on their own.**

 **BookWriter94** **: You'll have to wait a little longer to see how Jason gets into the fray. Right now, I think I've included someone else for readers to worry about.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: Yeah, I think the beginnings of friendship was what everyone, including me, were waiting I don't know if I'd call Jason and Anne 'stalkers', per se.**

 **Realhuman** **: Thanks or the kind words. I think that's what puts people off in general towards OCs – a lot of times, we just imagine them as already cool, already strong, already got everything they need in hand. Creating a character means your creating a person, as flawed and troubled as any of the already-existing characters. It's a matter of care, and I'm glad you approve of Cody so far.**

 **Alright, that wraps things up here. As always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	26. On Our Own

"Hey! Get back here, you freaks!"

The two villains dashed across the rooftops, caring not for the craters and chaos they had left behind on the way. Anne in their grip could do little but scream for her life. The only thing she could do, and it was hardly logical. Jason kept on their toes dashing with sweat pouring down every pour.

He reached for the slingshot in his pocket and aimed, for all the good it would do. Breathing through his teeth he drew the string back aiming for the wolf's claw on his classmate. Just in the last moment he was in the boy's sights, Jason felt the ram of something furry on his midsection. Jason soon found what, to some degree, as an army of furry munchkins ran arms flailing, costing him his shot.

Jason ran against the crowd as best he could but was pushed back by the wave of panicking furballs. He stomped to gain ground as if trudging through foot-deep mud. "Get out of my way, furballs! Hey-I said move it!"

"It's the Doom Raiders! They're here!"

"Somebody call the Skylanders!"

"Come on, come on! Darn it! Let her go!" He looked to the rooftops. Anne and her kidnappers were long gone, something that seemed lost on the crowd of nimrods.

But in there place was something at least they considered better. A bird man with feathers of white that gave an aura of sun rays, sporting blue armor polished to perfection, came from out of nothing but air. He crashed to the earth with a gust triggered like a gunshot. His back was to the boy, pistol aimed, ready to blast whatever poor sucker was caught staring down the barrel into oblivion. Jason gaped, but behind the freeze of emotions, knew a soldier's stance.

"What the heck are you!?"

The bird stared back, then to his slingshot on the ground, puny next to his weapon. He retracted it almost out of pity.

"Bit of advice for you, soldier. Sticks and stones only break bones if they hit, and names… well, never much point to them."

The first thing he recalled out of his mind was anger, and jumped at the critique. "Don't think I ever asked for your advice, birdy! Now get out of my way."

That got his attention. He turned back with a stern glare, and cocked an eyebrow, taking in his lack of fur or feathers, no doubt. "Another human? Your kind has been almost crawling out of the metalwork these days. State your name and business, along with a very good reason I should place you under strict supervision back at Skylander Academy."

Jason reached for his slingshot again. "How 'bout I knock out three birds with one stone?"

"Jason?"

A familiar meek voice called to him. He'd snapped away from the moment just long enough for a talon to grab his arm, one claw raking open a gash for a drop of blood to pool out. First rule of combat: never take our eyes off the opponent.

"You're a few years too early to go outwitting this old bird, lad." The bird-man led the way for them both to turn to the assortment of people: half-familiar in his three targets' case and half not in their new, just-as-freaky friends. "As for you lot, any particular reason you were in the area?"

"Uh, us? No sir, Jet-Vac sir." The red rock with a face muttered. "W-We we just… um… ooh, I think my lava's leaking."

The green girl with glowing eyes stepped up at her friend's slack. "Professor Jet-Vac, we saw the smoke, and the panicking citizens. With all due respect, you tell us a Skylander's duty is to protect people."

So these guys were some kind of heroes? Somehow he didn't buy that – if these clowns were protecting people, then it was no wonder everyone was in a panic. Jason snatched his slingshot from the ground and walked towards the rooftop where Anne had gotten away, while the rookies kept getting the lecture of their lives.

"A Skylander also knows when to follow orders, Ms. Elf." Jet-Vac, or whatever he was called, pointed that swollen talon his way. "Which of course means that this is no Skylander."

"Jason, what are you-how did you...?"

The rebel growled at the meek Cody's muttering. "I don't have time to put words in your mouth again, pipsqueak!"

"Ha! Pipsqueak. Gotta admit, that's a cute little nickname you got, Code." The purple dragon at his side elbowed him.

"Spyro…"

"Hold on. Cody, you know this kid?" The green girl asked.

"I did… I mean, I guess…"

'Knew' was a strong word, Jason spoke with his grip on the wood handle.

Pablo clung to his shoulders shanking him. "Gasp! Does this mean you have a secret life we know nothing about! What if he's from another country, or an alternate dimension!? What if we're all in some storyline derivative from what someone would consider canon or realistic!?"

The rock rubbed his top. "My head hurts."

"We weren't exactly friends, especially after pipsqueak here dropped off the face of the planet. Now if we're done with intros and re-intros, I gotta get Bryant before she does the same."

The princess took center-stage. Typical, always needing to be at the center of attention. "Wait, Bryant? As in Anne Bryant from the student council? Why was she here? How did she come here?"

"And for that matter, how did you?" Jet-Vac said. "The only logical deduction is…"

Everyone paused…

…Then turned as one to a brightly blushing boy trying to implode in on himself.

Spyro took a scaly arm to the shoulder. "Wow, you are surprisingly careless, Code. Not that I have any kind of problem with that…"

"Yeah, but ay caramba, Cody! You gotta watch who follows you! I mean it isn't long before you're stalked by someone with a knife, or an overcoat with a hat like in a street sign. Or even a salesman!"

"Will you shut up and get out of my way!?" Jason shouted barreling through them all like a pile of play-blocks in a war zone. "That spider-guy and wolf can't have gone far. I need to-

"Wait, do you guys hear that?"

The rock answered his dragon friend. "Yeah, usually in my nightmares. And this is quickly turning into one of them."

Like rocks through a window, they emerged from every point imaginable. Spider robots with bodies of wood and tanks of goo atop their bodies. They danced along the walls of the town with every step a crack in the foundations. The crowd went wild with panic again while the bots sought out their prey.

The first targets were the group of people still chatting in front of them.

"Oh magma…"

* * *

Logic and reasoning had failed her. Anne could only resort to futile efforts of banging on the back of her captor. For all the good it did. It was like pounding steel coated in fur.

"Unhand me at once! Please! Where are you taking me?"

"Noisy, and not the fun kind." The wolf answered in a less-than-civil accent, drool slipping from between his jagged and foul fangs. "You sure you're gonna get any use out of this one as a guinea pig, doc?"

The spider tapped his fingers in thought holding himself upright. His spider legs did the lion's share of work vaulting him up the walls and along the rooftops and smoke stacks of what appeared to be an old factory. A stench far beyond any man-made pollution that Anne could consider filled the smog-covered air that double in thickness the further they pressed. Yet the 'doctor' breathed in the smoke and took in the rusted and decayed facilities as if inhaling genius.

"Most assuredly, my good Wolfgang. A human in the Skylands is a rather rare procurement, if we should both agree.

I simply must analyze her to determine her magical potential?

"You mean a lit'l dissecting." Wolfgang teased smirking.

"If it comes to that, certainly."

"No! No, don't!"

The three entered from a skylight what looked to be a laboratory with outdated equipment. Gears rotating made the worst kind of screech as they worked to clear themselves of cobwebs. Lights activated from under numerous tubes and canisters of goo that bubbled and festered. Anne was dropped among piles of wreckage and left to slowly lose her mind between fear and disgust among garbage.

She huddled into herself gripping her skirt. There was a small crack in her glasses just like her sanity. "What am I going to do? I don't know, I don't know what to do! How can I not know what to do? I always know!"

"Psst! Hey! Yeah, you with the glasses and 'woe-is-me' complex."

Anne gasped at the garbage that was suddenly talking to her. For all she knew that was a possibility in this world as well. Though there was also a pair of eyes lined with blue fur and purple pupils that couldn't agree on where to face. One at least focused on her. "I don't suppose you've seen a couple of magic goggles lying around. They make this spying thing a lot easier."

"W-Who or what are you?"

"Name's Pop Fizz. At least, it was the last time I checked." His strange voice grated on the ears. "Here doing undercover work, that or I got way lost on the way to the potion shop. Either way I was 65% sure this was where the Doom Raiders were hiding. 80% they would have a hostage."

"How could you possibly have predicted that? It makes no sense!"

"Welcome to my world, sister! Literally!"

"Oh, gentleman! There you are!"

Shadows wrapped around the air and a black blotch formed from nowhere. Out of the darkness a child with a face like an ape and fangs to match, clutching a tattered old book. He gave his best impression of a friendly smile at the two monsters, though it only sent chills down her spine.

Her captors only sneered at the thought, particularly the wolf as he strode in. "Oh great. Who invited him to the party?"

"This is a fine mess you've gotten yourselves into, running off against her Golden-ness' wishes. Bad dog!"

"Say that again and I'll chew on your spine, runt!" He growled, claws bared.

"Oh, Wolfgang, I'm here to make love, not war. Because your, our, war is with the Sky-losers. The Golden Queen has promised to forgive you for your insubordination if you return."

"Does she, now? Or is that just what she told her clapping monkey to say?"

The spider-legged doctor walked along floors and walls paying no mind to anything else, connecting wires and reattaching gears to his machines. "There is really nothing else to discuss. Wolfgang and I are in the middle of a delicate procedure. I'm afraid there is no room for interruption at this point."

The other boy's face turned to a pout. "Really, I'm throwing you a big bone here!"

"And we're saying 'scram' or we'll break yours!"

"Listen, you, I-" He went from snapped to composed in an instant. "Er, that is, the Queen, needs you to complete her plans! She has promised us total domination of the Skylands. Surely even you can see-" His words were cut off with a grab of his coat by the wolf's hand, close enough to his fangs to chew him and spit him out.

"Here's what I see- a dimwitted patsy!"

"What?"

"Those of us who are real Doom Raiders know there's only one person the Queen looks out for, herself!" He tossed the boy to the floor, his book sliding out of his hand. "She's a one-woman band, so the only reason she'd bring on a weak link like you was if she was using you for something! Even you gotta see that one coming!"

"No!" He screamed, voice thick with tension. Perhaps it wasn't the first time he had heard those words. His hand glowed a black and violet glow, his book flashing back to his hand. "Fine, you want to betray her Golden Radiance, so be it. But don't come whimpering to me when it is I who will rule at her side!"

He faded as mysteriously as he came. She almost reached out to him, to scream at him to take her with him, though the small part of her head that still had reasoning told her he wouldn't spare her a glance. She was on her own, forced to fend for herself. All she had were the dirt stains on her skirt and whatever junk she stared at lying on the ground.

"And as for you, my dear?"

She looked to the doctor. His legs were right at her hands, him observing her with arms folded behind his back.

"You are no less of a pawn than he is. But surely one with your intelligence must see that being useful is the only way you might manage to survive."

The googly eyes in the junk pile shrunk. "Hey! My advice is never usually sound, but don't listen to this guy! He's more of a crackpot than I am, and that's saying something."

"I might be willing to let you go free. It would be a waste to lose such valuable research material. But I am nothing if not hospitable."

What was… the most intelligent choice? The most rational?

Anne had always been taught to think of what was rational, or intelligent. She had been raised as such, to consider what was best for her future and the future of her family that had sacrificed so much to make it to where they were. It was logical to throw away what was unneeded for the goal of becoming successful, as a girl, as someone from another country, as someone of a lower class. Every choice she had made was an intelligent one.

She studied harder than anyone, got perfect grades, and did it all on her own. For the sake of her family, she always made the logical choice. And now the most logical, most rational choice… was the obvious choice.

The black-skinned girl adjusted her glasses and dress, to make herself presentable. "Fine. If I assist you, you'll let me go, correct?"

The doctor in monster's guise grinned. "Indeed."

She looked to the junk pile, where the eyes belonging to 'Pop Fizz' had left.

"You shouldn't need to worry about any assistance coming. I don't require aid from anyone."

* * *

In the few minutes since Klankcase's army arrived, the town had become a ruin of rubble and goo.

Between Jason and the army of kids and creatures that all decided to interrogate him, they were making long work of the robots. Their armor was some mix between wood and metal, and somehow made for a tough combination. Rewind a bit – the others, between flames and wind and swords and magic, were doing just fine. It was him that had all the problems battling the same robot for nearly ten minutes, and he was starting to sweat.

The rock monster, Eruptor, finished the job he hadn't even started by sending a lava glob down the bot's mouth. Goo bubbled and hissed as it hit the stone, melting small craters and smelling like burnt roadkill.

"Back off! I don't need your help!" Jason found the nerve and breath to say.

"Oh, yeah. Few more pebbles and I'm sure you'll make a dent!"

The dragon, Spyro, finished another to his left just as easy with a claw uppercut. "So let me get this straight, tough guy. You saw Wolfgang and Krankcase?" He turned to the pipsqueak now at his back. "Cody, we just hit the super-villain jackpot! Let's catch some bad guys and win us a graduation!"

"I don't think so!"

A blast of spiraling air went past them all and into the bottom of a leaping spider. Hair, clothes, scales all quivered with the rush of wind. They turned to the source, a ticked-off old bird pointing his gun.

"I knew you were still up to your old get-out-of-school-quick tricks! As your teacher and commanding officer, I order you to wait here!"

"Sorry, gramps, but I don't take orders from washed-up old fogeys." Jason said clenching his slingshot.

"I like the kid's style!" Spyro said. "What he said, just in whatever way makes you feel a little more comfortable about your age!"

"Listen here, you two, if you think for one second that because I'm not as spry as I used to be-"

He could keep his rants, and they could keep their heroism. Jason just wanted the fight and the win. He marched into the fray and aimed his slingshot. He then felt an arm grabbing his.

"Jason, please! You're going to get hurt!" Cody pleaded.

"I said back off!" Jason slapped him to the floor. "I don't need some pipsqueak too scared of his own shadow, a bunch of freak-show friends, or some old soldier too weak to get back up! I don't need anyone!"

"That kid is crazy!"

Maybe that ninja elf, Stealth Elf he heard someone call her, was right. He lived by crazy, stupid and reckless, but he lived like a warrior should. His father, a soldier, came back from the battleground once, a shadow of the man he used to be. Honorably discharged with a new prosthetic and missing limb, and buddies who left him to get the missing leg it replaced. Not to mention the PTSD that had his mother and him constantly tending to his every whim.

He swiped at the ground grabbing a fistful of rocks. One by one he launched them at the robots though they only clanged against their hulls. Jason didn't care – no one was going to pull him from the battlefield. No one was going to rip away his spirit like they did to his washed-up dad. The young soldier would fling and fling until his fingers bled.

And they did. His joints grew weary and his fingers stung from all the rocks he touched, some heavier, some sharper. For all that did, they still marched. He pulled his slingshot's band for the next one, not caring either way.

Until a rough talon grabbed his wrist. Jet-Vac's, who looked to him with a solemn yet still stern face.

"That's enough. The only thing that'll accomplish is your band snapping like you."

"I said I don't need help, bird." He huffed.

"At attention, soldier! When a ranked officer gives an order, you follow!" Jason couldn't help his body going rigid at the command. Jet-Vac softened. "Calm yourself, take a breath, and focus…"

The old bird took his shoulder and his hand, and knelt down. Jason followed the contractions of his chest, breathing at the same pace. He'd done this before, when his father had taught him to shoot. It was all the same, from the tightness of the grip to the volume of the bird's voice.

"Don't just shoot to shoot. Waste of good ammo. You look for your target, you lock on your target. Still your mind, nothing but the target."

He was just an old bird, some geezer who didn't know anything about him. He had no right to go all 'spirit mentor' on him. That's what the rebel told himself. And yet he followed, remained calm.

"What the…"

As he did, the tiny wooden handle, the string at the end, they both felt as though they didn't exist. They glowed in a bright blue light, neither hot nor cold, but electrifying to the touch. It reached out and arc over his head and along his chest, A bow of blue light and a pebble that became an arrow to match its light.

"Shoulders level, arm raised, keep your finger on that string. Not yet… not yet." He kept his finger on the string of energy. Right as the first mechanized monster came into his sights.

"And… release."

He did. The arrow shot, piercing right into the machine's belly. It crackled and surged, and finally collapsed.

"Bulls-eye."

* * *

 **Okay, I am sorry this ended up being a day or two late, but I've been caught between school and a little something called Kingdom Hearts 3. This ended up being posted super late at night. Hope this new chapter and everything in it was worth the wait. I'll try to be on time with the release of the next one.**

 **Not much of an author's note this time. I'm just thinking maybe I should watch some episodes again to get back into the mood. I might just try that. Ah well.**

 **As always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	27. Loyalties

No spectators remained to watch the slew of combat that went on after their masses had fled the scene, waves of flailing arms and screaming at the top of their lungs. That was fine – anyone who was left would still have to see through walls of smoke and fire left from the battle. Not to mention the mess of goop.

But when it all cleared, to everyone's relief, the Skylanders stood victorious. Though bruised and grimy, and cringing inward from the cold slime running down their bare skins, their blades and magic shone. No one could peg them as mere cadets, the way battle scars added to the image of heroism. They stood together in a circle among piles of wreckage, fizzing and twitching with the last inches of mechanical life.

Save for the rebel Jason who still had his bow held out as if waiting to strike at the last unlucky soul to step out and challenge him. He stared at his arrow ready to pierce said weakling right through the gut.

The bow vanished into stardust leaving him to stare at the hands that gripped the hot energy.

"I could get used to this…"

"Clean-up, aisle… everywhere!" Cody smiled at Pablo and Eruptor, who sent a message it was a team effort.

"All in a day's work for a Skylander, including yours truly!" Spyro said from his left with an arm resting on his shoulder. "Now, who's up for lunch and a little afternoon smackdown?"

"Sorry, but you 'cadets' can head back to summer school. I'm going on my own."

They all turned as one to Jason, who walked off without another thought or word or even a glance. He started walking, the sight of his back something Cody was so used to seeing of him.

"Excuse me?" Katelyn asked, finding her voice again.

"Absolutely not!" Jason ran into the chest of Jet-Vac who had propelled himself with his vac-gun to stand right in his path. "Portal Master powers aside you are in no way, shape or form capable of pursuing the Doom Raiders, son!"

"Okay, old timer, you just saw me land a volley of magic arrows in those bots! Name one good reason why I shouldn't!"

"You have no training at the Academy or experience in this world whatsoever." Stealth Elf started.

"You got a solo streak and a penchant for trouble." Eruptor added.

"You just unlocked your powers and probably don't even have the slightest idea on how to control them." Jet-Vac concluded crossing his arms.

"Okay, first, I said one reason. And second, I don't need your advice." The boy went around the feathered wall that was the old bird who turned to him again. "A soldier takes care of business. This soldier's taking care of business."

"A soldier knows when to listen to the order of a commanding officer! I'm warning you, lad! Don't you dare take one more step!"

"I'm liking this kid." Spyro spoke with that mischievous grin of his. "It's like smashing Jet-Vac and me together. Admittedly that is a scary thought, though, because can you see this handsome mug with feathers… Cody?"

Cody didn't hear Spyro's words, the wind between his ears hushing them out and a cold sweat running down his neck. It was as though he blinked and found himself in a place right where he hadn't been before, yet he knew where he was going. For now, the boy found himself face to face with Jason unable to look anywhere but dead in the eye. Even as the other boy gave a glare like a gun pointed in his face, Cody remained still as death.

"Out of the way, pipsqueak."

Cody would not budge, even as the shots of insults and fury fired. He stood his ground, calmer with ever word.

Jason glared back growling. "I said 'move.'"

"Do you just like to be alone?" Cody said with an eerie calmness that sent the others tense. Even Jason blinked once.

"Don't make me-"

"What are you going to do?" Cody held his arms out wide to show he would block any move Jason made. "Do you have a plan to save her? Do you know what Klankcase and Wolfgang have prepared?"

Jason's body hummed with a fiery blue glow down to the veins in his hand. He drew his slingshot, intimidating enough, until it morphed into the bow that had slain a group of spider drones. Yet Cody still did not flinch, even with the arrow pointed straight into his eye, ready to blind him in an instant. Jason must have seen that his tough-guy act was failing.

"For the last time, get out of the way! I'm trying to be the hero, here!"

"It seems like you were always trying to be the hero." The boy gave a tired sigh. As he opened his eyes a weight and pallor appeared on his face that felt o familiar. He heard someone gasp silently from behind. "So, I'm supposed to be the villain, I guess. I'm used to that."

Jason fired his arrow with a moment's hesitation, but enough for Cody to see that kid with a spark in his soul once again. That boy from kindergarten who would stand up to bullies for their victims, yet not always for just reasons as much as it was simply to pick a fight. Their days would always end with both of them in cuts and bruises, until the day came when he withdrew from the world and never saw him again.

Now here they both were, five years later. Jason still picking fights he could only win half the time, and Cody hiding away from everyone. Now Cody was hiding behind a glowing violet shield from the other's rain of arrows bouncing off his shield. Cody knew it was him, the day he first came back to public school and Jason stepped in to help him from those bullies. Jason didn't even look at him then when he gave his warning.

Cody couldn't help but close his own eyes. It was harder to open them than he thought.

Jason had launched one of his last arrows before his bow disintegrated. He was now breathing hard and dripping with sweat and frustration. "What do you even want?"

"To keep you from doing something you'll regret. Being alone, shutting everyone out, handling your own business. I-It works sometimes. But you're never sure what you get out of it." For the first time, Cody could stare back at someone. "Um… what I'm trying to say is… you have people who are trying to help. So… just quit the tough guy act and let us help!"

Spyro's breath in the background re-alerted them to the others. "Code… now that's some real game talk."

Even Jason had to breathe out as though the wind was knocked out of him. He even gave a chuckle. "Never pegged you as a poet, pipsqueak."

"Me? No, I was always too scared to even stand in front of the class."

"Well spoken, regardless cadet." Jet-Vac stood between them now, a rare grin stretched along his beak. "Now, it doesn't seem like I'll be talking any of you out of this and given your previous track record."

"Is he saying what I think he's saying?" Eruptor asked.

"Please don't tell me he's saying what I think he's saying." Stealth Elf said.

"Alright, we'll consider this a field experience mission." His eagle eye and authoritative tone went into effect in the flash of a second. "But let's make one thing clear – I am your commanding officer at all times and you are to obey my orders to the letter. No insubordination, whatsoever!"

Jason chuckled and gave a mock salute. "Understood, sir."

"Good. And do not mistake my rhyming for a cheery demeanor."

The group walked together at the end of the skirmish. Some were happy at the turn of events, others not so much, and some were just confused. Cody didn't know where he stood watching them all walk away, a mixture of emotions and thoughts running through his head. He was happy, impressed, weak-in-the-knees, terrified, and confused as to whether any of them were appropriate.

A familiar flash of purple caught him as that 'weak in the knees' feeling was taking dominance. He smiled wrapping the boy's arm around his shoulder.

"Cody, that was… something. Definitely something."

"Something, right." The two slowly followed along with the others. "I've never spoken to anyone like that."

"You'd never guess. You just keep finding ways to surprise me, kid."

As Spyro flew off to join the others, the warmth of his shoulder left with him. Cody was left with that feeling of emptiness from when he stood before Jason. Standing before nothing, for nothing, with nothing.

"Right…"

* * *

"Overgrown fleabag, telling me I am nothing from a pawn to the Queen. I am Kaaoooos! I mean, how much more emphasizing and undulating can I do?"

Such was the rant that went on for what felt like forty days and forty nights, when it was really just forty minutes. Either way, Glumshanks could feel the cobwebs growing in between the ears his master yanked all the way back to his tower. He was nursing the pain as Kaos paced back and forth along the grounds, as a chill wind blew.

"Any more undulating and you'll have invented a new music genre, sir. That should garner attention…" The troll looked to the groove his master had worn into the ground. "Before warding it away."

A jolt came and with it a surge of intense pain. It soon dulled, yet persisted as his body was lifted into the air. He couldn't move as his limbs felt strapped to his body. Glumshanks looked to the ground and saw Kaos lifting him overhead in a bubble of dark magic.

Kaos glowered. "I'm sorry. Did I hear you say: 'why yes, Lord Kaos. I would love to dip my head in a vat of toxic waste with a lightning rod strapped to my head?'"

"After I'd recovered from the last time 'I' said that…"

He gasped suddenly. "Quiet, fool! Do you hear that?"

Glumshanks was dropped with all the care and effort of a rock. Right into the conveniently place mud puddle by the dead oak tree. "The sound of years of education and potential flushed down the drain? The inward weeping? Constantly."

"No, listen!"

The troll lifted his face from the muck, ignoring the cold feel of it running down or worms on his face. For once his fat-headed, thick-skulled delinquent of a master was right about something. The door to his tower was cracked open slightly, with a chill apart from the dismal weather leaking through. But there were voices as well, and one sounded quite familiar.

Both Portal Master and troll looked to each other and crept towards the door. Kaos budged it open, mindful of the creak in the rusty joints – he insisted it put there to add for dramatic effect. They crept down the steps with a mind-numbing slowness, guided by the sound down the unlit staircase. They took their place behind the corridor and peered…

…to see the Golden Queen speaking into the mirror. A distorted shape was within the reflection speaking back.

"-any progress on the child?"

"No, same old, same old goody two shoes act." A girl's voice answered with clenched glowing eyes. "I may have steered them in the direction of your pals and their hideout for their bad practice. Forgivesies?"

"It matters not. Wolfgang and Krankcase were disloyal. Either they can fetch me the stone or be eliminated. Either way."

Kaos pumped his fist, while Glumshanks huffed. His master had a bad habit of sadism in him.

"Right, but even if they get the Portal, they won't bring it to you."

"I have a contingency plan for that, don't you worry. That demented little buffoon is wrapped around my bejeweled finger – I'll put him to more use than even I could have predicted."

There it was.

Kaos gasped, as though someone had shot him through his heart, or whatever passed for it. "Ah...

"Oh, sir… I hate to say I told you so… So I'll say everyone told you so."

It was the truth – anyone and everyone could have told him that the Golden Queen was setting him up from the very beginning. Still there was something in the boy that Glumshanks couldn't help but feel sorry for, the child that had his dreams crushed, the part that was betrayed by those he trusted, the part that had nothing left but bitterness. That was his own sad life in a nutshell. Kaos would get over it, though preferably not by blasting, backing, or beating him.

Who was he kidding? That was certainly going to happen. The sympathy was gone right then and there.

Still, what did the Queen hope to gain with the Portal? Kaos would certainly no longer help her; even if he was still 'wrapped around her finger' he wouldn't be able to use an artifact he had no contact with. By Kaossandra's warning the Portal would have been sealed so that no Dark Portal Master could use it. What did that leave?

"My Queen." Kaos pulled the book from his robe, clutching it to his chest almost to hide his broken heart.

The book…

"Devious, love it!" The face came into clearer focus, a blue head with a gauche-looking bow. "By the way queenie, how much longer 'till I get my end of the bargain? You know, make me a Doom Raider so I can ditch this do-gooder dump?"

"Your place is still at the Academy, and your role is as always. Observe, and nudge. That is all."

Kaos sneered and stomped away, any thought of stealth behind him along with the troll. Glumshanks looked back to make sure the Queen did not notice their presence, but she was likely too busy basking in her own radiance to give thought to it. She had hold over a Dark Portal Master and a student at the Academy, a puppet master running both sides on golden strings and everything falling into her lap.

His master must have seen that as well – probably something he wanted to achieve. However he lacked the foresight for such a thing, and that was what made him so easily manipulated. Not that Glumshanks would ever say that to his face.

Kaos must have at least sense it as he dragged the troll by the ear to the Portal in front of the tower. In a beam of light, they disappeared.

.

At the Academy, all was bright with sunshine shimmering down, casting everything in a glow. Students were merrily chatting about topics from classes to careers. Even in such a setting, shadows lurked. Specifically, the head that sulked and whined far from any watching eyes for disgusting shows of friendship.

"Ugh. For reals, how much longer!?" Dreamcatcher whined. "'Your role is the same,' 'observe and nudge,' give me a break! Like I don't see what you're really thinking, Queenie!"

"Really?"

Dreamcatcher turned to the sight of Kaos, composed in form yet hissing with dark magic out of every pore. Glumshanks took the precaution to stand behind and not say anything. Dreamcatcher was just as prepared faking fear as best she could.

"Oh, uh… villain, oh no. Somebody…"

"You see what she's really thinking, huh?" Kaos slowly approached her. "That sounds like it would come in handy. Why don't you and I have a talk… friend?"

 **And there we go. Enemies become friends and friends become enemies. What will happen now that Kaos is onto the Queen? How will Anne be rescued from the clutches of Wolfgang and Krankcase? Why am I talking like some cheesy TV narrator?**

 **Anyhoo…**

 **I noticed there was a lack of comments lately. On one hand that's probably my fault since I didn't respond in the last chapter. However, I'm wondering if people knew the last chapter I switched out for that author's note was put up. I'm not really sure how notifications work on that part. Anyway, I'm grateful to everyone for their patience – I know these bi-weekly updates are tough.**

 **Onto the comments. I'll try and answer a few from the last chapter as well:**

 **Crazyloop8888** **: I think our spies got more than they bargained for. But everything will work out – they did for Jason, at least. Now he has to learn to be a team player.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: Yeah, I designed Jason and Jet-Vac to have a student/mentor relationship from the very beginning. Jet-Vac takes his duties very seriously, while Jason thinks he's ready to take on the world. Something that might sound familiar?**

 **Bookwriter94** **: Well, I do still think it counts as a relationship, because Jet-Vac is still a teacher, but on the battlefield, there has to be a sense of equality. Jason in particular needs to know that because there was the sense of everyone looking down on him in the beginning. As for Anne, she does rely on logic to get her through the day, since emotion failed her in the past. She has a lot of pressure on her to be the way she is, but we'll see how that works out.**

 **Keep those comments and likes rolling in. As I always say – review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	28. Our Team

On her own, Anne had lost track of the time.

It wasn't as though she was even at that level of relationship with her demented captors – she feared they'd eat her if she spoke a syllable out of turn. She must have figured a week had passed from the cycle of suns and moons, and she thought for the briefest moments here and there of her parents, wondering if she had been keeping up her studies. Admittedly that soured her thoughts in the minutes she spared them.

All she knew was that at the end of it all, she was dirty, grimy, her clothes in tatters, and more ache in her joints and limbs than she had ever experienced in the past few years. Globs of slime trailed a cold clammy course down her skin along with sweat. And she was now staring at some massive web-like contraption of tubes and canisters filled with more of the green ooze, all with some rusted engine at the center.

There was a cold inside at what she might have helped to create. Though she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge it.

One of the monsters, Krankcase, crawled forward with hard clacks of his metal legs on the stone floor. He hovered over her with his rancid breath repulsing her. "Do tell me, my dear. Does it astound and overwhelm your feeble little human mind? I must know the advancements of my brilliance compared to your kind."

"You asked me to assist with your device, not your ego." Anne forced herself to speak in a steady voice.

"Ha! Got you there, doc!" The other, Wolfgang, barked back as loud as always.

The doctor huffed. "You can still assist me in other ways…"

She squeaked, betraying her hidden face. "Eh… this device… what is it supposed to do anyway? I suppose I should know its function before I compare it to our 'primitive' human technology."

"Ah, yes. My Jumbo Goo-Tron." Like an arachnid crawling onto his threads the doctor defied gravity climbing up atop the engine at the center. He placed a hand as it hissed, almost as if to soothe some machine temper. "This device is constructed to amass the potent aroma of the ingredients we've collected and combine it with my goo into a toxic substance. With the right activation key, it will rain stinky Armageddon on all of the Skylands!"

"And what is… the proper activation key?"

"My latest jam-solo, that's what!" Wolfgang growled. Really? A stink machine powered by squealing noise – was there no logic in this barbaric fantasy world at all? She could only wonder as the villains conspired. "Hey, doc. You got your gizmo up and running. What's our lit'l backstage guest gonna do now before the show?"

"Ah, yes. Well, no one is allowed to be backstage once the show begins, as I believe you would say." Dr. Krankcase turned to her, tapping his fingers crawling towards her, a menacing smile on his face. "Your help was instrumental, my dear – pardon my pun. But I'm afraid your time in the spotlight has been cut short."

"Excuse me!? W-We had a deal!"

"Oh, don't worry. I have every confidence you can still be of use." His polite tone took a sinister undertone that robbed her of any remaining strength. "You see, I have simply been dying to know just what makes you humans tick."

"That's what happens when you make deals with the bad guys sweet cheeks." Wolfgang was at the window, bone-harp in hand, watching her with sadistic glee. "Well, I'm off for my gig. Enjoy your new toy, Krankcase."

"No! S-Stay back!"

Anne could only back towards the wall. Her back hit the icy stone, like jabbing a spike into her with the dash of hopes. Her glasses fell to the floor, the glasses cracking.

"I do not intend to leave any one fiber unexamined. So yes, this will hurt."

"Not as much as this is gonna hurt you!"

Both looked up to the source of a strange, crackly voice and bursts of colorful powder and liquid in place. Anne shielded her from the blasts as Krankcase was ejected and sent streaming into the opposite walls, fumes of various colors from him. The girl looked to find a familiar ball of blue fur with pointy ears standing before her.

"Y-You!" The gremlin's google eyes caught her. "But I-I chased you away. Why did you come back?"

"Well, 'cause Skylanders never abandon a person in need. That, and I thought I left my wallet here. Hard to keep track of it with one googly eye like this. Name's Pop Fizz."

"Curious as to how a Skylander infiltrated my facility." Krankcase rose from the rubble, coat tattered and far from his polite façade as much as he held on. His glare burned from beneath the shadow of the rim. "I will be sure to inquire… provided there is anything left of you to ask."

"Motion of the potion!"

Pop grabbed his vials and tossed them, mixing new potions as ammunition. Klankcase crawled along the walls and ground dodging each explosion by the smallest inch. The gremlin bounced along the walls and equipment like a runaway rubber ball attacking from all angles. Krankcase countered the last with a blast from a goo gun at his waist.

"You're in my facility, Skylander!" One potion made its mark on his face, to Pop's laughter. "Oh, you are incorrigible! Defenses, activate!"

As if from every tile and hatch in the room, cannons filled with canisters of slime appeared. Pop fell face-first on the floor to every last one pointed at him. Both his and Anne's limbs went limp.

"Uh-oh…"

The click of a gun sounded, and both believed it was over.

Then came the stirring of winds. Anne's clothing fluttered, blew in all directions. The wind howled carried the tearing of wires and gears with it, ripping them from their sockets in the floor. Quick whooshes sounded, followed by explosions and sparking wires. When Anne reached for her glasses, she gaped at the sight of an entire room littered with mechanized remains. A soldier with azure armor and brilliant white feathers stood in the center.

He raised the weapon in question toward the doctor. "Cease and desist! By the authority of the Skylanders, I am placing you under arrest." Krankcase crawled for the open window Wolfgang escaped through. "I believe I said cease and desist! Pop, move!"

The gremlin was at his side as the two ran after the villain. "Thanks for the save, JV!"

"I will not make the foolish mistake of being apprehended a second time!"

The pair was right beneath him as his legs teetered on the windowsill. "It's over, Krankcase! Back to Cloudcracker Prison with you and your furry friend." The bird-man shouted.

"Gentlemen, I don't believe it needs to come to this. The Skylands must have use for my brilliance. There is no doubt some beneficiary component to my being released." Krankcase lowered a hand in peace towards them. Ever the gentleman, he gave a show of courtesy looking almost human.

The two Skylanders had their weapons raised. They were at the ready for whatever trick his true face came with.

"Allow me to demonstrate the full capacity of my intelligence. I'm sure you'll agree-"

"Hey! What's up, doc?"

The doctor looked to the new voice. Only a flash of bright blue greeted him.

An arrow went past him breaking into the window's side. Startled, the doctor lost his footing and fell into the two Skylanders beneath. At least before a second arrow caught him by the cloth of his coat. A crystal attached glowed a yellow glow and vaporized Krankcase, sucking him inside.

Jason dropped across the hall smirking. "For a genius, that was a pretty dumb move."

"And for a cadet that was extremely reckless." Jet-Vac pointed a finger at his unruly student. "I told you of our strategy. It seems I've a long way to go before you learn even the basics of discipline."

"Never said I was a perfect student, gramps." Jason said, shrugging.

"Gramps!?"

"Uh, am I missing something? Dumb question, I know." Both turned to Pop Fizz scratching his head between them. "How did more humans get here in the first place?"

Jet-Vac ran a tired talon across his beak. "It's a long story, Pop."

"Wait… where's Anne?"

* * *

Anne had run, run at the first chance of freedom. Finally, those toxic fumes and dreary dungeons were behind her, and she didn't once look back. She had made it past the borders of the rocky cracks infested with pipes and soon enough even the rancid scent of the ooze-filled chasm was lost to her. Running and running – she'd skipped physical education for a reason, though it seemed foolish now.

Caked with scrapes and breathing heavily, it was with relief she finally spotted the edges of a town.

"Little further… there's got to be… some way-"

But just when she'd reached the border, when she'd finally found safety, it all came back. A crash from behind her, and a menacing snarl with a baritone hunger. She told herself not to look back, but she did… to see Wolfgang, licking his lips.

"Oi there, girlie." Wolfgang greeted, reaching a hairy claw to grab her again. "You're just in time for ma big show! Once I play ma riff, the Skylands Music Festival is about to get nasty!"

"You might want to check the schedule, furball! Cuz you ain't on the list!"

Both turned to the sight with the setting sun at their backs. A band of individuals, some human, some otherwise, were perched atop the nearest building, weapons and instruments in hand. Wait… instruments?

Anne recognized the faces of the humans, even with the sun casting its glow to make them resemble heroes. It was the band of sneaks that were running off gallivanting to engage in who knows what foolishness. They were… the cause of all this, the reason she now found herself in the grip of a monster screaming for some knight in shining armor like some ridiculous fairy tale. All she could feel was a simmering heat bubbling in her pit.

"Anne, we're here. You're safe now," spoke the Evans boy as loud he could.

"Safe!? I haven't been safe since the minute I arrived here! Everything about this place ranges from dangerous to totally insane!" Anne cared not for how disheveled she must have looked screaming at her would-be saviours.

"Yeah, isn't it totally muy divertido!?" Pablo answered.

"It is certainly not! I have had enough of this place and every upchucked rainbow of creature that crawls around here!"

Wolfgang pulled her to within half an inch of his jaws staring her in the eye. "Ain't no way to talk to yer honored hosts, is it? Best watch your mouth, girlie."

A tooth-like blade flew down, slicing him along the face in its descent. The wolfman nursed his now bleeding cut as he seethed at a green-skinned girl appearing out of a cloud of smoke. She grabbed the assaulting weapon and pointed it in his face, no emotion in her glowing eyes.

"Bad dog. Drop her now, before we put you in the pound."

"Nice comebacks! Teach 'em in those fancy classes o' yours?" Wolfgang tossed his captive aside with all the care of a rag doll.

"Anne!"

The young scholar had no clue as to who called her name, nor did she care. As she prepared to hit the ground, all she thought off was all her efforts, all her striving, everything that she had done, soon to be for nothing. But a force pushed her back and the solid ground she expected was replaced by two braces holding her up. The blackness she was expecting was replaced… with a purple-scaled dragon, trying to give a heroic smile at her.

She blinked and struggled, worming her way from his grip. Anne felt a scrape from the dragon's claws keeping hold before she slipped from his grasp. She landed on the stone path with the dragon right beside her in a softer landing she couldn't bring herself to envy. The girl only glared and moved back with new adrenaline in her legs.

"Whoa, whoa, easy, specs." The dragon placated. "I'm one of the good guys here. Name's Spyro, ready for a rescue."

"In the few excruciating days that I've been here I have been slave-driven and nearly killed by a wolf man and some robotic toad. You cannot expect me to believe a dragon saying he's my hero!"

"Not even with this face?" His fangs sparkled in some chiseled grin Anne guessed she was supposed to find attractive.

He could not be serious.

"I am perfectly capable of handling myself." Anne yelled stomping away. "If I can handle secretary work from that spoiled brat and two overbearing parents, I can certainly handle saving myself."

"…The solo act only gets you so far, you know. Learned that the hard way."

She stopped. "What?"

She turned to see the dragon, Spyro, looking sad, or wistful, back to the battlefield.

"Took a kid getting knocked into a hospital bed to slap some sense into me. I'm not gonna let it happen again." Back to her he flashed that grin again, shrugging. "It's not exactly life in the spotlight, but hey, at least the pressure's a little off. That works just fine."

"Really?" She raised a brow, so natural to her. "Someone like you enjoys it slow and steady?"

"Not as bad as I thought. I tend to find some things I've missed." The dragon blinked. "Like our Professor parked right behind you."

Sure enough, as Anne turned in the direction of Spyro's finger, there was Pop Fizz falling into bags of garbage from some unknown place ahead. Still the gremlin bounced back as though nothing had happened.

"Ah!"

"Spyro! You would not believe the ride we went through to get here. I might just take it to the theatre." Pop turned out of the alley as Wolfgang appeared in between the swinging blades and blasts of magic. "Wolfgang's here! Man I hate that guy!"

"For once, we have something in common." Anne grumbled between the two. "If I could deal with that ruffian, I would."

"You don't sound like Ms. 'I -Can-Do-Everything-By-Myself.'" Pop Fizz was left scratching his head. That dumbfounded exression on the blue furball's face would be endearing, if it wasn't so completely clueless. "Did you guys have some kind of emotional heart-to-heart that would have attracted the hearts of an audience were this some kind of written production?"

"Something like that." Spyro chuckled.

The pangs of magic rang as Wolfgang flew off. He strummed his bone harp and a sound like a thousand nails on a chalkboard carried. The others were blown away; Anne saw every one of their bodies fly in between the sparks of color. She gasped seeing them fall to their feet.

"McManning? The others…"

"Cody! Guys!" Spyro flew back to the battlefield with no delay.

Pop Fizz turned his mixed pupils to her again. "So, you gonna stand there with the glasses, or are we gonna kick some Doom Raider tushie!?"

He couldn't have seriously suggested that she engage in a fight with that monster. As much as she wanted to, as irked as she was for being treated like a slave for an extended period, she had nothing. Nothing but her mind and the stress on her shoulders, which amounted to nothing compared to a wolf monster and a bone harp that could shatter buildings with its sound. Anne could only clench her eyes with all the frustration welling up within her, burning at her throat, her face, right up to her sockets.

Yet, when she opened her eyes, something came upon her. A flash of yellow that came around her vision, like a second set of glasses. Everything became engulfed in that same yellow light, trailing along from figure to figure. Streams opened in her mind, a brilliant golden path. She gasped blinking as her vision returned to normal.

"I believe I have a plan for said 'tushie-kicking.'" She turned to Pop Fizz, a smile on her face. "I'll need your help."

.

The Skylanders and their Portal Masters lay wasted on the battlefield, scars on their bodies and a painful shriek ringing in their ears. Opening their eyes only gave the sight of the world spinning. Eruptor, at the sight, puked lava onto the ground burning a hole into the sidewalk. He coughed harder as Wolfgang's boot pressed on his back.

"This is why you don't send kiddies to take a Skylander's beatin. Too easy." The wolfman laughed.

"Say that after you beat us!" Stealth Elf groaned.

"I don't know, Elfie..." Eruptor's voice came muffled through the dirt. "We're lookin' pretty beat right now."

Katelyn rose her face from the dirt, looking more disheveled than a girl of her status should, including the anger. "This is all because Anne wouldn't come with us to begin with. Why did she have to be so stubborn!?"

Cody rose to his feet from the dirt, wobbly as his tired legs struggled. Spyro flew from the back to stand at his friend's side with a snout of fire. The boy raised his arms with the glow of magic while Spyro puffed out the rising tongues of flame from his snout.

"It's not over yet."

Wolfgang chuckled. "Right, well. Now's about the time for you to sing your swan song – pretty much over now!"

He pulled his hand and strummed his harp, the discordant noise screaming into their ears. A shockwave of purple shot forth in waves, echoing the ghastly sound. Cody raised an arm and shielded his ears the best he could. Though the barrier that appeared was not his shade, but a flash of gold. The beaten heroes stood dumbfounded.

"Stop!" Everyone turned to see the glow from Anne's hand, raised out as she stood from the balcony with Pop Fizz at her side. "Time for a special performance, mongrel."

* * *

 **Sorry this came out later than expected. The update was really slow due to my homework keeping me busy. Who am I kidding – this was a busy week altogether. As a result, I think this was weak even compared to other chapters. But anyway, all's well that ends well.**

 **I'll move onto the reviews:**

 **Crazyloop8888** **: Yeah, don't you just love it when the timid characters stand up for themselves? I didn't want to eventually hear things like 'Cody, grow a spine!' or something to that effect. And you have no idea what Kaos has in mind for everybody.**

 **Gregorian12** **: Yeah, those are always fun, aren't they?**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: I think it's already been decided who Jason's partner will be, don't you?**

 **GeneralTigerDragon** **: It was stated in an earlier chapter that the Golden Queen wants all the riches in the cosmos. She wants Cody's portal, so she can go to Earth and Kaos's Spellbook to make it work. From there she could gain access to other realms and convert them to gold. The Queen is an ambitious one.**

 **Anyway, I'll try and be more prompt with the next chapter. No promises, though the bi-weekly update should be coming to an end soon. Look forward to that. As always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	29. Heroes Never Die

Lights swirled around Anne like a machine in full workings, her stained skirt still glowing with the hum of inner energy. All the young fighters gasped in awe of her and her power clicking like clockwork taking the place of her glasses. They almost couldn't tell her apart from the girl who shrieked when she first came into this world, and who might have been right to do so.

"Anne… did you get magic too?" Cody, weakened from the rush of battle, asked. "You're a Portal Master."

She leaped from the building she stood upon, her power cancelling out. "I've detected a weakness in his music, aside from the dreadful sound. There are notes you can counteract with those of an opposing resonance."

"Any chance of a translation for those without plus-100 IQs?" Jason commented.

Cody faced the others, with Anne and her plan in full understanding in him. "I think she's saying we've got to play music to stop Wolfgang."

"Not exactly the most 'textbook example' of engaging an enemy." Stealth Elf muttered, shrugging as her blades were still in hand. "But we didn't even bring our instruments!"

"No problema! Nothing magic and a good old-cooking pot can't fix!"

Pablo waved his hands in a flash of red, and with a poof of smoke that had the scent of chili and chocolate a rusted old cauldron appeared. The lid popped off to reveal their instruments sticking out like straws from a cup. The others merely gaped at the cartoonish show of sorcery, while Pablo only smiled.

Eruptor was the first to regain his bearings. "Are you kidding? That's gotta be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life! And I've got a piece of obsidian for a brain." The screech of a sonic riff from their guitar shattered a rock behind him dousing his temper. "Of course, my rock brain isn't exactly coming up with ideas."

"So in other words, bust out your gear and jam!" Pop added.

"Not sure I get the logic, but if it means a chance to jam center stage, I'm up for it." Spyro leapt grabbing his guitar from the pot. He slid to the ground with a riff of his own.

Cody stumbled to him with guitar in his hand. "Spyro… we're still not ready." The instrument's weight made the boy teeter even standing.

"Sure, we are! You wrote that killer song, just call this a rehearsal." Spyro's claw found itself on that familiar place on his shoulder. "Hey, we're in this together. We're not going down without a fight."

Cody could only nod and start to play notes, especially with Wolfgang looking down on them like the wolf he was ready to eat rabbits trying to roar back. But for the first time in who knows how long, Cody wanted to roar. Spyro's claw on his shoulder, with all the times it had been put there, somehow lit a fire in him he felt was common to dragons. He could find himself staring back at his opponent with an ease that felt unnatural.

Even as Wolfgang's form morphed into a familiar face, a stern man in blue, or dark faces in shadow, he could stare if only slightly. Cody focused back to the wolf, and he played.

The group joined in turn: the cords started slow but grew in speed and strength. They could play as one with magic in their hands. Eruptor and Pablo on drums, Katelyn on keyboard with Stealth Elf on bass herself, and Cody and Spyro on guitar. Their playing grew with righteous rage.

 _Pull out all the stops we got a way that we can get it_

 _To save the world we'll kick it up to eleven_

 _We're knockin' down your door, with what we got in store_

 _Don't break it up, break it down!_

Cody gasped at the dragon on vocals bursting out in song. "Spyro, I didn't know you could sing like this!"

"What, you were surprised? I'm a dragon of many talents!" The dragon winked.

Wolfgang strummed his harp with a cruel smirk. "So, wanna turn this into a battle of the bands? Alright, Skylanders – let's see who the real Rockstar is!"

The wolf riffed back with a violet wave like a scream and howl mixed. Their music took form in a clash of song and sorcery, sparks flying in all colors on the wind that could set a rainbow fire to the forest. Even then, the song took force over the noise that Wolfgang gave.

 _We'll kill the night and we'll never see the sun_

 _Every day and night going crazy_

 _Don't call the shots, don't you tell me when I'm done!_

 _Kick it up, this life is amazing_

 _Hey, diddle-diddle won't you meet me in the middle, let the music make you fly_

 _Don't need to show no mercy cause heroes never die!_

"It's working!" Anne cried as the lights turned and cranked before her glasses again. "I'm detecting a weakness in his energy; his weapon is growing weaker!"

As she said, cracks were forming in the bone of his weapon, glowing red like blood. Its noise were more wails than ever before, and each strum only aggravated the damage. Wolfgang couldn't care less playing the instrument to his limit glaring at them until his own claws would bleed. Spyro and Cody looked to each other and played on at the challenge.

 _We're running out and free, this life was meant for me_

 _Step to the plate, you gotta show me what you got! Show me what you got!_

 _We'll kill the night and we'll never see the sun_

 _Every day and night going crazy_

 _Don't call the shots, don't you tell me when I'm done!_

 _Kick it up, this life is amazing_

 _Hey, diddle-diddle won't you meet me in the middle, let the music make you fly_

 _Don't need to show no mercy cause heroes never die!_

 _I said heroes never diiiieee!_

The harp could take no more. At last, tormented by the noise and strain, it shattered into string and shrapnel. Wolfgang gaped at the broken piece in his hand.

"What!? No – arrrgghh! My concert's crashed!"

A potion blast collided with his face along with a burst of air to the gut. He trailed and grated along the ground dirt clogging in between his fangs. The faces of Pop Fizz and Jet-Vac, with Jason close behind, stared mercilessly down at him. Jet-Vac grabbed him by his own scruff.

"And you'll be crashing along with it! Back to Cloudcracker for you!" A white glow appeared in Jason's hand, turning the wolf to stardust sucked into the crystal. Jet-Vac grinned. "What do you think, lad? Notice my use of witty wordplay – Skylander Handbook article 14, paragraph 6."

"You have rules for smack talk… why am I not surprised?"

The rest of the group rallied around their newest ally. At least, Cody hoped she would be one. Katelyn stepped forward as direct as she was. "Anne, that was incredible! I daresay your analysis really saved the day."

"That and my sax solo!" Pop Fizz appeared from thin air right by Anne's side with a saxophone inexplicably in his hand. She did show a bit of disgust recoiling from his jumping bean of a body. "You know, I was a former musician. Seeing as how this inexplicably ends with a Skylander/Portal Master team-up, I was thinking we could make-"

The scholar girl pushed him back. "Distance, please. You smell as though you haven't bathed in weeks."

"Oh, I have not." He hugged her like distance was an imaginary concept. "We are gonna be best friends!"

"Pass my requirements of hot water and soap, as well as a thorough mental examination. Then we'll discuss." Anne deadpanned. She held out the gremlin at arm's length, recoiling like she would sneeze.

Spyro chuckled, shrugging in the background. "Well, this is the beginning of another beautiful friendship."

"All I know is, we've gotten nearly all the Doom Raiders recaptured. Not bad for a bunch of upstart cadets." Elf spoke at his side. She gave the dragon a punch in the shoulder; maybe for fun, maybe for all the trouble, maybe for both, Cody wondered. Either way it left a bruise that for Spyro's sake, no one would ever know was there. "I hate to admit it, Spyro. But you really did good."

Spyro grinned. "That may be the nicest thing you ever said to me. Wanna try to top it?"

"No."

Cody shuffled between them looking to the, hopefully, friends. "Come on, I think we're ready for the festival. I think…" He stuttered. "Well, maybe not. It's one thing to beat a villain, it's another to perform in front of a crowd."

Spyro flapped beside him. "Hey, you're not getting away from me that easy. Time to rock the house."

* * *

Spyro couldn't remember the last time he was in such high spirits at the Academy. The festivals they threw each year to celebrate the fact they had a hundred and a half heroes to protect the realm gave cause for all the parties. He'd strut his stuff, show off, and give a smile, but honestly, he'd never gotten into the party mood when he knew what everyone knew. It would be gone the moment he entered the room.

But this time was different. The lights were so much more colorful, music had a sense of life, and Skylanders and the people would jump enough to bounce the floating island they stood on. The snacks and drink had a zest they didn't have before. As he soared above the crowd Skylanders were almost dazed in the sense of celebration continuing to cheer and sing with no end in sight. It was a festival that would be worth remembering.

As Spyro flew to his partner sitting on a stone wall at the edge of the celebration, he couldn't help but figure that was the reason.

"Hahaha! Three encores, who'd have thunk? I think my popularity's finally kicking in!"

"I guess so. I'm just amazed I could play." Cody muttered, hugging his knees. "I didn't think I would do well at all."

"Well, if that's what you sound like when you're worried, then you would've stolen the show. I'm almost relieved." Cody was so self-conscious it was like he dove into a hole and buried himself. Spyro almost wouldn't believe he was listening. "Then again, the spotlight loves me, so you'd have to work hard for it."

"I don't think I could separate such a perfect couple." Spyro blinked. Cody actually told a joke.

The dragon laughed, before he looked off into the distance. Even at night, thumping light shows to his back and a sea of moonlit clouds forward as far as the eye could see. He tried to spy off as far as his sight could go out into that yonder. "Well, spotlight's not gonna be on me for much longer. I'll be taking off soon…"

Cody croaked. "You're still leaving? I thought you were…"

"Yeah, I mean, doesn't stink as much as it used to. Even ol' Terrafin's coming around – he only wants to punch me out half as much of the time." Spyro leapt to the edge of the rock, his wings itching to take off at that moment. "Still it's not like there's anything left for me here."

"Right…" Cody sighed. "Are you going with Master King Pen? Or are you just…"

"No, probably gonna set off on my own. Pick things up on the road. Besides, training with King Pen is still considered school, just at sub-zero temperatures and lots of glaciers." Spyro paused. "Actually, Code. I wanted to ask you something… About that."

"Yes?"

Spyro gulped, swallowing his fire. It wasn't something he'd ever done before and it stung his throat every bit as much as he'd always imagined. He tried to hack up the words he needed to say in its place, something just as foreign to him. It was the ultimate show of trust, something he couldn't do with anyone else as he could here. Cody only blinked looking more worried by the second and Spyro wondered if he'd incinerate himself by stalling any longer.

There was nothing left to do but breathe in, breathe out. Look him in the eye and wear the best smile he could. Without tricks or pretense, say what he needed to say.

"I don't know how or when, but I am leaving. And… I want you to come with me."

Cody looked like he had the flame knocked out of him. "W-What?"

"Yeah, I mean, wouldn't mind having a pal to chat with while I'm off making legends." He couldn't do the honest thing after all. Best to just keep up the show and hope the boy would play along. "Could be, you know, good to kill some time, keep the days rolling by."

"Uh…"

"So, how 'bout it? You up for a full Skylands road trip with the next Skylander of the ages?"

Say yes. Say yes, he thought. He would have figure Cody would stutter, but it would have ended with as enthusiastic of a yes as he could give. He wasn't expecting…

"No… no, I can't."

Spyro stopped cold, the fire now ice in him. "Wh-What do you mean?"

"I.. I was promised I could leave the Academy whenever I wanted." Cody looked away, not even having the nerve to stare him in the eye. "I'm not meant for this like you are, Spyro. I'm not what you are."

"What I am?" The dragon scoffed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I didn't… mean anything. It's just that-"

"Just what? That you don't wanna hang out with a troublemaker with his head too far up his own butt?" Spyro circled the boy whose words were like swords through the scales. His scowl deepened with every step, every syllable, every second this went on. "If you had a problem with me you could have just said so from the start instead of the whole gloom and doom act."

Cody was down to whispers and mumbles. "Spyro it's not you. You have enough problems to deal with now without…

"Problems? Yeah, I got problems. One of them being some wimp who I really was better off without!" Spyro screamed. The music of the festival was a world away now as he turned. "If you're gonna leave, then leave. Might as well do the same right now."

Something pulled him away, something that hurt. His wings ached, his teeth ached, his limbs felt broken all as he felt a greater break in his chest. Cody just watched him fly as far away as he could.

"At least you admit it…"

.

He landed in a forest black with darkness, not even the trees to see. There were the sounds of brush and crumpling grass beneath his claws, wet moss somewhere in his nostrils. But he didn't care. It wasn't the blackness that kept him from seeing – dragons had senses that were beyond most creatures. It was his eyes going blurry with water, and exhausted breath that gained more emotion in every pant.

He breathed in and breathed out, fire burning the ground black. He breathed every spot around him with all the hot breath he could muster. Until it ended and he collapsed in a pile of scales in the charred dirt.

"Can't believe I got so wrapped up in all that… that… whatever all that was."

He thought something had changed, he thought whatever pretenses were gone and they had nothing more to hide. Spyro and Cody had bared their hearts to each other and now 'Spyro and Cody' didn't have much of a bad ring to it. What reason would Cody have had to refuse? Were his room and his lousy relatives really all that special to him – did he just like pain that much? Maybe he'd never know.

"Whatever…"

"That's all?" A familiar grating voice came from the shadows. A black clock emerged, one shuffle at a time, and his imp-like face emerged, massive skull and all. "Weak delivery and the opening made me puke, but overall a wonderful performance. Trust me when you have a troll servant that was in theatre you pick up on these things."

"Kaos!" Spyro coiled to his feat snapping into battle mode. "What are you doing here!?"

"Just coming to claim what's mine." The dark wizard's fingers surged. "And deal with unwanted pests."

Spyro took a look at Kaos, with his only army being the shadows behind him. No help and nothing to show but sparkly fingers. He chuckled despite himself. "Look at old melonhead, playing the tough guy. This shouldn't take long."

"I agree wholeheartedly." Kaos raised a hand, sparks turning into an ominous glow. Spyro leapt out only to half a second later be stopped in midair. "Now then, to fill up the old magic tank."

The aura slithered around him like slime, pouring into every crevasse of his scaly body. His wings felt cold swirling in that cocoon of shadowy light. A force rose in his stomach – not fire, but something more vital, rising into his mouth that he felt ready to upchuck as much as he struggled. It banged along the doors of his teeth leaking out through the gaps. It escaped. A stream of violet light like stardust, out of his jaws and into Kaos's hand.

It all went, and he dropped to the ground, lifeless. Somehow he found the strength to rise, seeing his scales and claws lost some color as he did. He stared up wearily to Kaos who smirked at him.

"What… what did you do to me?" He rasped.

"Oh, just sapped you of your magic element. Not like you'll need or even have it at all where you're going." He cackled at the dragon's stony glare. "Don't make a face – I thought you wanted to ditch this infernal dump. That just means our interests align."

"Whatever you're planning, I am gonna bust out and when I do-"

"I'd cross that interdimensional portal when I came to it." The dark wizard raised his hand and the tome in his other burned with an off-colored flame. Reality broke apart behind him and gave a glow that swirled into some imaginary distance. A Portal. "For now, enjoy your extended trip."

He blasted Spyro with a violet bolt. The dragon screamed carried off into the current to who knows where.

* * *

The dragon awoke to the smell of rotting garbage. The sight of it as well when he opened his eyes. Piles of junk and broken metal lying in heaps with clouds of dust clotting around them. He still felt weak, and the stench sapped what little energy he had. Once again his vision was blurry, catching dots of light in the moments the world wasn't spinning.

"Where is… is this Earth?" He stumbled to his feet.

"Freeze, freak!"

A rough jab came to his side and several clicks came at all his sides. Figures appeared in his vision aiming weapons at him. Spyro felt a foot come down on his spine knocking out what wind was left.

"Looks like we got a live one. What do you know?" One of the figures turned his head to another coming from behind. "Target immobilized. What should we do, General Leichter?"

"What we're going to do with all of these creatures… capture it."

* * *

 **Okay, there's another one. Sorry I submitted it in at the last minute but I think this one was worth the wait. At the very least, things are getting interesting.**

 **For anyone who knows, the song featured in this chapter as well as the title of the song, 'Heroes Never Die', sung by YouTube star Nathan Sharp, aka NateWantsToBattle, on his album Sandcastle Kingdoms. I thought the song was a cool fit for Skylanders, as well as Overwatch which probably inspired it. I kinda think the lyrics also describe Spyro, whose sort of a reckless hero-type himself, really well.**

 **Anyway, hope you like the chapter. As always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	30. Betrayal

"Check the library, check the classrooms, the study, the student clubs! We must find Spyro at any cost!" Master Eon gestured in every direction with a wave of staff moving at his command.

"Yes, sir, Master Eon! I'll even check the boiler rooms for good measure." Hugo saluted and ran off.

A bomb going off in the middle of campus would have had less effect than Eon losing his prize pupil. As soon as the news broke from Cody that Spyro could not be found, Eon had turned the island nearly upside down. Classes were cancelled, much to the joy of some students, and search parties were called, to their chagrin. Not a moment's peace could be found with Skylanders storming the halls sending fissures with their ranks.

The team had committed to their own search as well, but found their skin growing cold along with the brisk morning air. They'd been searching before sunrise and not even so much as a scale had been found. Everyone, Skylander and Portal Master, sat at the front gardens catching their breath and watching Eon lose himself in the same panic.

"Uh, Master Eon, I thought you wanted to find Spyro." Stealth Elf piped up with a hand raised.

The sage stopped mid-command. "Eh.. yes?"

"But you're checking in all the places he would be least likely to be." Eruptor grumbled. "As in, places you couldn't even pay him to go to in a million years."

"Oh, you're right, Eruptor." All at once the age and exhaustion caught up with him and he sank to a rock with a hand to his weary head. "I suppose I just felt with his recent turnaround in school and my guiding beard, he would be willing to put more effort into his studies."

"Not in this lifetime, mi amigo." Pablo chuckled against the situation. "Spyro and studying go together like chocolate and guava juice! Hmm…"

Anne turned green next to him behind her fogged-up glasses. "No, absolutely not. That would be stomach meltdown upon pronunciation."

"Enough with the chit-chat." Jet-Vac called. "I say we check the dorms and courts! Spyro must be-"

"You won't find him…"

Finally, Cody was noticed by all the others, as much as he tried not to be, to be forgotten and ignored the same as before. The boy sat on a rock overlooking the beyond Spyro had set out into, feeling the chill punishing him for doing so. The light stung his eyes like a squeeze to the arm he tried not to feel. Cody only gripped his jacket and huddled into himself all the tighter to go back into his own world.

"Cody?" Elf walked over with Katelyn a blade's tip behind. "What do you mean?"

"He isn't missing… he left…"

Jason stepped up. "Uh, how do you know this? Did you see him leave or something?" The intent to grab and punch was clear even without seeing his face. "And on that note, I'd assume you didn't try to stop him?"

"Spyro had enough…" Cody's tone lost a pound of life with every word. "…of this school, of people, of me…"

"Whoa, Cody. Where is this coming from? You and Spyro were getting so close." Elf asked.

"I guess we did, if what he asked me was any proof. He wanted me to go with him… to travel the Skylands." A jab of ice came into his chest, a kind of hurt only one other thing gave him. He gripped his shirt to ease it away. "To be honest, part of me did want to go... But there's a reason I can't."

"So he left on his own?" Jason growled. "He's completely unguarded out there?"

"Lad, cadet Spyro breathes fire in battle but mostly hot air outside of it! He is in no way prepared for what's out there – that is why he's here," explained Jet-Vac.

"And sometimes it's better to stay right where you are. Believe me – I know too well."

"Well, hate to break it to ya, but this was like the bad call to end all bad calls."

The group turned as one to the whoosh of air and the chill that followed it. Dreamcatcher appeared from the swirl of smoke, as always sporting a smiling face and whip-like tongue like a bully in rhapsody. Her eyes gleamed brighter than before, yet to Cody that only made her look all the shiftier. "Some partner you are, twerp."

"Hey, back off, Dreamcatcher!" Eruptor shouted. "You can dream up all the back sass you want but keep it to yourself!"

"Really, and what if I wasn't here for back sass?" She floated and teetered around, flipping her hair in flashes between them and speaking in a sing-song manner. "What if I told you that our number 1 recruit just landed himself in some majorly hot water?"

"Something has happened to Spyro!? Explain!" Master Eon shouted.

"Caught some totally bad vibes, coming off everyone's favorite melon head. Saw him take Spyro away to his castle in the nether regions."

"To Kaossandra's castle? This is bad, very bad. A certifiable code alpha-omega-foxtrot-" Jet-Vac's rambling was cut by an egg popping between his legs. The others only gaped, while some shuffled a step back. "What? I'll have you know this is a normal function!"

"If Spyro is indeed in the clutches of Kaos and Kaossandra, it could mean they plan to use him and his hidden potential for any manner of atrocities! We cannot allow it!"

"What do you mean, sir?" Katelyn asked. "Does Spyro have some kind of hidden power?"

"Yes, more than you know. I had mentioned to Spyro all throughout his young life that he was special, destined for great things." Every Skylander knew of that, words that were inherited from one mouth to another, and then to all the world. Some could say that they resented Master Eon for that one thing alone, if any ever could resent him at all. "I will have you all know that I was not exaggerating. Though even I cannot speak of or fathom the depths of his abilities."

The floating head popped behind the sage's shoulder in ghost-like fashion. "Well, gee! Why spend time wondering when you could get to the rescue? Get moving already!"

"You're not coming with us?"

"Oh, no! I couldn't do that – I'd just like, you know, get in your way and junk. Still a cadet, remember?"

"We're all cadets, too. Yet we managed to take down the Doom Raiders." Cody rose to his feet. He stared Dreamcatcher straight in the eye, his voice quiet but hard. "On that note, if you saw Spyro get attacked by Kaos after he was so far away from the Academy, why did you wait so long to tell us?"

"What is this, 20 questions? Had to wait until everyone was together." She chuckled.

"The entire campus was active last night, which is probably when it happened. But if Spyro was captured, you could let everybody know at any time and we'd move."

"Yeah, well… I was just-"

It was done. He was through with the lies, with his heart being pushed and pulled and stretched into some colorless mold. This school had brought him pain and pleasure and he'd still no sense of what final verdict he had to give, how he really felt about the place. Despite all the incredible creatures and fantastic worlds and magic and danger and wonder, it was a normal school once the veil was pulled. A school where people didn't care about what your life was like once the bell rang and gave you another kind of misery to pile on top of whatever you had before.

Spyro knew that pain all too well, just like him.

Dreamcatcher was a part of that misery, the same sadistic face of every bully that had tormented him since the day of his mother's death without a care. And now that he had a real friend in danger and she was near-teasing him of it, the boy was more than convinced she wasn't one of the good guys. She seemed to float around with a bitter taste in her mouth whenever someone spoke of truth and justice. It made Cody stare at her with a critical eye, more focused than in all the years he'd just spend at his desk. Like the lines of wood in the frame, all her little details seemed so clear.

"You've been messing with my head since the beginning, Dreamcatcher. But I'm smarter than you think." He walked up to her as she backed away. He'd caught her right as she backed into the side of a tree, glaring at her. "I know you're lying."

She stared from him to the others, not nothing in her defense came. The truth had come out, or at least part of it. She only scoffed repeatedly, like a malfunction in her good girl façade. He jumped back as she zapped away from him, hovering over them all with a cold stare that matched her.

"Are you kidding? You think I'm letting some lame, teary-eyed, pathetic wimp try and talk tough over nothing!?" She hovered around their ranks, their glares deepening as she rambled. "I put up with the rest of these do-gooder Sky-losers for years! I'm not some two-bit amateur wasting time saving people like you!"

She swirled into a twister of ghostly smog and launched it at Cody. The boy gasped and covered himself waiting for the sting of her sneak attack. Instead came the whoosh of a fireball. He didn't know why, but he'd hoped it could be Spyro. The dragon could fly back, and they'd apologize and work something out.

Instead it was Eruptor, who had incinerated Dreamcatcher's smog with a lava shot. Elf and Pop Fizz stuck back with their own attacks, with Jet-Vac finishing the job with a net from his gun, holding the renegade cadet in place.

"That's enough, lass. It's over." The bird-man pointed his gun at her struggling form.

Master Eon followed suit, a pale-blue Traptanium Crystal waiting in his palm. "Dreamcatcher, I'm disappointed in you. Your parents were heroes; to think their offspring would side with evil." There was a mix of pleasure and pain to see her sucked inside, like every other villain they had dealt with. A threat from the inside usually does that to people, and trust was so fragile a thing. But when the glow cleared, their former classmate was gone nonetheless.

Eon turned to the gasping group. "Everyone, go now to Spyro. I will handle things here."

The group turned and ran to the Portal, humming and glowing with the touch of their feet. The platform glowed beneath them as a vision of their classmate and enemy dueled in their minds as their focus. Katelyn's hand gripped in his pulled his attention to her, giving him the compassion he needed most at that point.

"We'll find him."

Cody looked to the sky above. "I hope so."

* * *

"Ah, Kaos, darling. Excellent." The Golden Queen sauntered from the dark wizard's throne, across a room turned completely to gold. "I was expecting you. It's time we had a… serious discussion."

He had stepped up to her bowing and scraping on the floor as always. Low enough to kiss his reflection on the tile. The way she had liked it because she never let him go anywhere near her feet. It was funny, compared to how he'd make Glumshanks like the floor clean, after he'd dump garbage on it.

"Yes, my queen. Of course, I am at your every beck and call, o golden one. How may I interest you?"

"Things have come to a drastic turning point, with the defeat and capture of all my cohorts. A Queen cannot be a queen without a kingdom and subjects to rule over." Not that Kaos had a soft spot in whatever passed for his heart for the other Doom Raiders, but that was her own fault for leaving them alone. Then again, that worked to his advantage. "However, I believe you are fit for a station above mere servitude."

"Truly, my queen!? Oh, how I've longed to hear your praise!" It really was a change of pace. She'd always preferred him to admire her from afar.

"Yes, I believed from the very moment I saw you, Spellbook in hand, that you were destined for greater things." He stepped to him and stroked his cranium right to his cheek. "You are indeed fated to play a role for greater things in this world."

"Laying it on a little thick…" Glumshanks muttered polishing the statues of the Queen that almost seemed to be doubles.

"As have I, my queen. I have always known we were destined to rule as masters of darkness and destruction, together!"

"And the key to it all… is right in your hand." Her fondling jewel fingers traced down the folds of his robes to his hand, where the spell book lay. That was always the part she gave more attention to than any other. "Kaos, the book you hold has incredible power. Surely the key to conquering the Skylands is in that book."

"Really?" Kaos beamed, playing dumb.

"And all you need to do is-"

"Hand it over!" A voice called from atop the steps.

"Mother!?"

The room had turned a shade of violet dulling the golden hue of the chamber, and air had become charged with energy like needles through the skin. The mistress of the castle stepped down to the floor, at the two astonished and almost fearful faces staring back at her. Kaos fixed a gulp, not factoring his mother would have caught on. He'd figured he'd kept her in the dark as a master manipulator.

"Kaossandra!?" The Queen stammered before regaining her composure. "Kaossandra, how delightful to see you. I haven't seen you grace us with your presence since the good old days."

"It is anything but a good day for anyone if I have to see any of you!" Kaossandra glared shouting, then pointed a finger at Kaos's face. "You, I knew the moment my book was missing that you had to have gotten your filthy paws on it. Give me the book, now!"

"Mother, you don't understand. The Queen and I know this is the key to realizing our goals!"

The Queen's hand grasped his shoulder. "That's right, Kaos. Ultimate power is at hand. Why let your mother deny you that which you've longed for from the beginning?" He noticed how she kept the other on his book, all while whispering words of sweet temptation into his ear. "She has done nothing but stand in your way since the very beginning, ridiculed you, turned you into the laughingstock of the Skylands. She is an obstacle."

She did have a point. Kaos's mother always seemed to stand in the way of his domination, saying he wasn't ready for power, that he wasn't doing things right. When he made any decision she was always there to say know. And every time he'd ask why or require any guidance, she'd turn away. It infuriated him.

On the other hand, he saw what was going on, here. He'd have to make a note of it for future usage.

"I am his mother, and he will listen to me!" The sorceress held out her hand waiting. "Kaos, my Spellbook. You don't know what you're messing with!"

"I think he knows exactly what he is doing!"

"Kaos, do not make me repeat myself!"

An explosion went off blasting the now-charred door to their feet at the bottom. The Skylanders' silhouettes were clear in the smoke. They leapt to the ground weapons raised and magic primed, all with intent to launch on him.

The bird-man made the first move cocking his gun. "Freeze, villain scum! Hands in the air where I can see them!"

"Skylanders!?" His mother cried.

Glumshanks peeked out from his hiding spot with a broom and dustpan handy, sighing. "I suppose I'll be needing to sweep up the debris…"

"Start talking, what did you do with Spyro?" The ninja demanded.

"Pretty clear you're in cahoots so one of you better fess up!" The angry rock followed.

The little wimp Dreamcatcher had been playing with was the last to pipe up. He had tears in his eyes, trying to look tough but only managed pathetic. "Where… where is Spyro? Answer me!"

Kaos smiled at them all. Everything was just as planned, everyone was all under one roof.

"You might have an idea where he is, Sky-losers. Pretty familiar place, as far as your new friends go. As to whether we're in cahoots…"

Kaos shot his arm and a violet ray of magic shot out. The target of his spell was hardly what was expected. It had been aimed at the Golden Queen, trapping her in a bubble of light, zapping her. She screamed as her body corroded, and her golden touch that had reached to every corner of the room had melted away. The sheen returned to cold damp stone to his satisfaction, turning to her gasping, weakened form.

The Queen breathed out. "Kaos… what-what are you-"

"Save your breath, queenie. It was nothing you weren't planning on doing to me." A menacing, cold smirk came to his face as he watched her helpless in his grip. "I figure, why wait to get the Earth element from some random shmoe? It would have been more fun to dupe you as you tried to dupe me."

"No! How did-"

"Don't worry! I'll have a tell-all book when I conquer and/or destroy all of existence. You can find out then!" The orb shone like a corrupt sun, a radiance he once thought beautiful snuffed by his own hand. Her face, gasping in horror was the last he saw of her before both the Queen and her prison vanished in light. Along with it went the last of childish affections or attachments. An orange wisp was all that remained, flowing into the spell book.

"One more for the ol' elemental tank."

Pop Fizz, the creepy gremlin with the Skylanders, was the first to pipe up. "Okay, I know I'm confused like 99% of the time, but did we really just see that!?"

"I thought they were allies. He…" One of the girls in the dress spoke.

"Kaos… this is what you've been doing with my book?" Kaossandra raised her hand not in askance, but with a greedy violet that yanked the book from his hand. He held on to it as though it were his lifeline. "You are further in than I thought. Give me the book now or-"

"Bup, bup, bup! Hold that thought, mother!" Kaos pulled harder with his own power. "I do have some unfinished business to attend to."

"Guys, get back!" One of the Skylanders shouted.

"You want to see your friend so bad? Why not join him!?"

The same as before, Kaos's hand engulfed itself in shadow and tore open a Portal as though tearing through paper. It's pull yanked the Skylanders' feet from under themselves. One by one they vanished into the darkness. Wherever they went did not matter to him. Now all the pests were gone.

Everything was exactly where he wanted it. Who needed allies?

* * *

 **And so another one ends. Where did Kaos send the team? Maybe to Earth, maybe to somewhere else. Doesn't matter -all the double agents have been removed and the sides have been made clear. All the while more secrets are still around the bend.**

 **Anyway, I'm sorry I wasn't able to respond to reviews last time. Let's get cracking with that:**

 **gregorian12** **: A new chapter for you. And yeah, I think it'd be a fun twist if all the dragons from the Spyro games turned out to be his family in Skylanders Academy. Of course, you'd be dealing with evil versions of them, but hey.**

 **General TigerDragon** **: Yeah, the way I saw it is that Skylanders or anyone from that world wouldn't know much about the mechanics of Portals or other worlds. After all, Portal Masters hadn't been seen since the Great War. So yes, the Queen might have been in over her head and doomed to ail from the start. But I think greed just sets you up that way.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: That is correct. Anne is tech, but Pop is magic. I always thought that would be a fun little thing that they had differing elements and so would be incompatible with each other on the surface. Something that could always be explored in little side-fics. And now that Spyro is in the hands of Leichter, well, it paves the way for all sorts of things, doesn't it. What will happen next – that's for you to find out.**

 **Bookwriter94** **: Yeah, Anne and Pop Fizz were always like night and day in my head. It would make for an interesting thing to explore in other works if I or anyone ever wanted to take a deeper look. Because Anne has a logical mind and relies on rational thought, while Pop is a spur of the moment kind of guy. It would take a lot for them to learn to trust each other.**

 **Realhuman** **: Thanks for following! Hope you like this one.**

 **Wiener Blut** **: That's such an honor. Thank you for the kind words – hope I don't disappoint.**

 **Anyway, now things are going to be moving along. More secrets are still waiting and more challenges lie ahead. Who knows what's gonna happen. Until then, review, favorite, follow!**

 **Till next time!**


	31. Truth

Opening his eyes, Cody came into a familiar world of grey. It was easy to imagine when it was full of color – flashing lights, delicious smells, and laughter at every corner. Mere years and their passing in ignorance seemed like centuries when he had seen this park outside of his window.

Now it had been worn away into a desolate shell. Everything from the ferris wheel to the merry-go-round now had rust growing like fungus and paint peeling. The ground had been littered with bits of old carnival prizes covered in dirt and mold, along with refuse no one had bothered to pick up. Cigarette smoke he recognized from his dad's more stressful days still filled the air. Cody remembered he wanted his mother to take him here, around the time she…

He shook his head. All he had here were fantasies that never were, and memories of this place withering to nothing along with him. Along with his friends who were coming to as the result of their ride through the dimensions. The boy dusted himself off and helped whoever he could.

Eruptor shook his head with a glowing stub to his brow, growling. "If Kaos was gonna send us to an alternate dimension, he could've at least picked something a little less smelly."

"How can you tell? You don't have a nose!" Elf asked.

"Fine, at least better looking! I'm sorry my anatomy is all topsy-turvy to you!"

"Wait… isn't this the old amusement park from across town?" Jason spoke, looking. "Heard this place was shutdown for safety reasons a few years back. Not too many people were happy.".

"So… we're on Earth?" Katelyn asked. "Why would Kaos send us here?"

"Don't know. But if this is the header for your world, then I'm movin' in!" Pop Fizz bounced around.

"Enough!" Anne caught him like a flying cork from a beer bottle. "If I could wager a theory: you mentioned before that magic wasn't available on Earth. It would be the perfect place to keep us powerless and occupied while Kaos carries out his agenda."

Cody stopped. "So then, Spyro is here?"

"Perhaps so. But where to star looking? I'm not about to go rummaging through junk." Jet-Vac's sentiment was shared by the group. Cody agreed – as much as he wanted to find Spyro, he wasn't going to dig through every junk pile in sight.

"Maybe check in there?" Pablo pointed to an old building with a clown face that only looked creepy with age. "'Never trust a fun house', I always say!"

"Should we check every building? We've no idea where Spyro could be, no leads to track him down with. We could search forever and still not be any closer." Anne analyzed.

"Which is probably what Kaos is banking on," Jason added.

"He's here… I can feel it. I know he's nearby – I can't explain, but I do." Cody stumbled forward. Corny as it was to call it their 'bond of friendship', and hypocritical, it seemed to be the right answer. "This park isn't far from where I live. There was construction going on years back. I remember from looking out my window."

The others didn't need any other convincing. They walked together into the fun house, some closer to Cody than others. All Cody could say was his feet were moving for him and drifting away from what might have been either a lack of space or personal support. The boy tried to keep the door shut on his emotions but now he wondered how big a crack there must have been if the others were seeing. He'd settled for just walking ahead and playing guide to Spyro.

The inside of the house was a maze of cracked and dirty mirrors all with unflattering reflections. Everyone danced and tiptoed around the shards of glass on the floor and collapsed odds and ends, ruined pipes and posters. Each turn led down another hallway of the same, with the light of the cloudy outside fading.

But going further and further in, the state of the house got better to o the eye, walls polished and the mirrors as perfect as their own bathrooms. No creaks in the floors or cobwebs to startle the faint of heart in the now-lessening darkness. The team approached a wide room surrounded by a ring of mirrors and grew tense together. An open room, in shows and video games, usually meant something.

"Something definitely isn't right here." Elf muttered. She jumped forward to avoid traps and landed on a tile that felt loose. Scowling she kicked it away…

To reveal a stairway leading down into shadows.

"Um, do Earth carnivals always have hidden corridors that lead into nowhere?" Eruptor asked.

"Not as far as I know," said Jason.

"Spyro. He's down this way. Come on."

Cody led the group. No one needed to give the order for everyone keeping their guard going down the stairs.

The boy heard Anne mumble at the top, right to point the craziness of it all. "Are we really going to wander into inky blackness based on a feeling of his?"

"Works for me!" Pop shouted.

* * *

The room Leichter stood in was pitch black and silent, save for the flashing lights of a hundred screens and hums of as many machines. It was a giant collection of eyes at every corner of the facility, watching and waiting for something to stumble in unannounced. People in his profession tended to bank on paranoia, but it had its advantages.

Like always, the paranoia paid off.

"General Leichter. The security monitors picked up activity." A man at a desk called out to him, clad in a badge-covered uniform and cap. "You may want to see this."

Leichter wandered over to the man's screen squinting in the dark past the static. From a nearby door came a group of children and their strange friends, barreling out like roaches from an open crack in the wall. He sneered at the sight almost resembling a smile – he was happy for the occasion when he saw one child in particular.

"So, he came after all."

"Should we send out personnel to deal with them?"

"No. The freaks are powerless here and the kids don't know what they're doing." He moved his cap and made for the doors opening to a lit hall, shielding his eyes in adjustment. "Besides, I've got the boy and his little rock just where I want them."

"Sir?"

"Let them pass, but monitor their movements. In the meantime, I have a call to make." And he walked away into the light.

* * *

Walking into an old amusement park left to gather dust and corrode, they didn't expect much. Going down a flight of stairs leading to the abyss, possibly something, but not this.

It was something out of a sci-fi movie, some underground facility with floors and walls all shining with the gleam of polished metal. They watched from above a grate in the ceiling crawling through the pipes at the first sign of someone who did belong possibly spotting a colorful group that clearly didn't. Under fluorescent lightning flickering bright then dimming were endless lines of officers in pale-green garb and lab coats running to rooms. It was as though the place had woken from a long coma.

More than once a curious Pablo or Pop would stick out their head to get a look and a random hand pulled them back. Voices garbled in static radio fuzz carried along the halls though they couldn't hear. The group looked to each other, concern written on all their faces.

"Okay, clearly these guys aren't park maintenance." Eruptor spoke the clear understatement.

"They look like military officers and researchers. What are they doing here?" Jason spoke with a hint of familiarity. "This park was supposed to be closed to the public."

"Those machines look rather cutting edge. I'd assume whatever is happening, a lot of money and time is being put into it." Anne muttered, fixing her glasses on the machines and computers visible from open rooms almost admiringly.

"This might be some kind of secret operation they're trying to keep hidden from the public," said Elf stroking her chin in thought. "That can't lead to anything good."

"Elfie, you think these yahoos have got Spyro?" Eruptor asked.

"Might be. If they do, we'd better double time it."

Jet-Vac tapped his talon on the vent. "Agreed, but we need a proper layout of the place, otherwise we'll be running around willy-nilly all day and will likely get caught."

"Okay, but something tells me they don't have a brochure with a map of the place." Katelyn said.

"Do what they do in spy movies – follow the guy that looks like he has the top security clearance. Wait for him to be alone and then he'll monologue his whole plan! Then you jump him and save the day!"

"Pablo, I don't think that's likely to happen." Cody responded.

And yet, a lone researcher, same lab coat and slicked back hairdo so as not to case distractions, came underneath them. At a suspicious door with a large yellow and black label marked 'special clearance only,' he swiped a keycard at the slot and the door opened with a click and whirr. Everyone looked to the hyperactive boy.

"You were saying?"

Jet-Vac was the first to recover. "Stay low and stay quiet. With any luck, cadet Spyro is here."

The bird-man's foot kicked the hatch open and the group spilled out. They followed the spotted man through hall after hall, and counted their lucky stars that there was a place to hide when someone came around. Moving through a series of laboratories where scientists were stereotypically running computers and looking at strange things in test tubes, they kept to the shadows. Some crawled behind machines while others took the rote above the pipes.

Cody steered clear from anything that was too suggestive, leading his mind to go the way it did down a dark road. He could feel that Spyro was here and it would only take a few creepy men and complex machinery to fill in the blanks. Spyro could be dissected or thrown into a vat to electrocute in the name of research. And it would be all his fault.

The boy was cut off from his musings running into Eruptor's back. Their team was, similarly, cut off from their only lead.

"Wait, where'd he go?" The rock creature shouted. "We had him and then we lost him! Seriously how many badges were on that guy? How did we lose him!?"

"Eruptor, cool it." Elf shushed with a finger to her friend's mouth. "I'm pretty sure your yell is louder than the eventual alarm."

"What should we do now? Spyro's here, we can't leave him." Cody asked.

A hand rested on his shoulder just as he was on the point of tears. He turned to the face of Jet-Vac. At that point, Cody didn't care if he was putting on a brave face or not.

"We won't, lad. I know he's important to you. Just like you're important to him. He won't go getting butchered and leaving you on your own." Cody's mouth dried in an instant. The sentiment was sweet, but he couldn't help but feel prepared for such an outcome.

The teacher turned to the team again. "Hate to say this team, but we'll have to split up. Stick with your partners and stay hidden. Cody, go with Elf and Kate."

"And if we get caught?" Jason asked.

"We'll… jump that hurdle when we approach it."

Pop Fizz stared dumbfounded at his comrade. "Jet-Vac without a plan – I'd never thought I'd live to see the day."

"Move, team! Report back in exactly 0600 hours." Jet-Vac cocked his gun. "Stay together and keep your guard."

* * *

Spyro hadn't felt a migraine that bad since his last midterm, but waking, he almost wished he was back in class. It was pitch black all around him, though he could make out metal walls past the dark with his good eyesight. The one thing that was clear, enhanced sight or not, was the iron bars crackling with electricity.

"What the heck? Where am I?" Spyro tapped a bar and jolted it back at the shock. "I have never been to a place like this before and somehow this feels like detention."

The dragon squinted looking around the rooms. HE blinked twice and could make out the shapes and sounds of metal boxes beeping with blinking lights. But no people – Mabu, humans, or otherwise. He remembered humans approaching him when he crashed so he was sure this was Earth. Maybe. For all he knew there were humans in other dimensions as well. There was only one way to find out.

"Hey, can a dragon get some room service around here?"

" _Ask and you shall receive."_ A voice crackled from all around the room. Creepy. _"We treat our guests with courtesy."_

Spyro bounced back at the familiar tone. "You're that guy who locked me up. I know my grades are tanking but you should crack open a dictionary and see what 'courtesy' is!"

" _My apologies. Humans tend to be wary towards anything that's new to us. You're about as new as it gets."_

"Well, I do have an effect on people." Spyro chuckled, though screaming why in his head. "So, what do you want with me? And more important: when can I leave?"

" _I'm afraid you're not going anywhere. What kind of host would I be if I didn't make you feel comfortable while locking you here forever?"_

"Is that a trick question?" Spyro asked.

" _You're not leaving, nor are your friends ever getting you out."_

The dragon gasped. He rushed to grab the bars, but was blasted back at the touch. "My friends… they're here?"

" _For just long enough."_

* * *

Stealth Elf was in full assault mode somersaulting across walls like a pinball, wasting no movement. Her blades were raised, and she glared at every obscure corner. It was unnerving, but the kids behind her felt she had the right idea in their current situation.

The elf kicked a door open. "If you were going to hold a cocky dragon hostage, where would you keep him?"

"Considering the 'dragon' part, probably in the most secure room in the facility." Cody mused.

"Every room in this place has six-foot thick doors. How are we supposed to-"

They stopped above a room with rows of computers, all with camera feed above a cage. Adults were typing furiously at their keyboards without a word to one another, high alert conveyed in the furious volume of their strokes. At the doors were large men still as statues, rifles at their backs. Opening the doors from the other side would have been like running into a solid wall.

"Never doubt a room with increased security." Elf twirled her blades and leapt onto the railing. "I'll distract the guards. You two, get in there and find our guy."

The elf ninja vaulted off and into the attention of everyone in the room. The people at the terminals fled while the guards drew their rifles and fired. She may have been without her magic, but her trained reflexed and martial arts were another story as she leapt and kicked the rifle out of a man's hand. Another came close but she blocked the barrel by her blades. Her glance at them snapped Cody back, grabbing Kate's hand and dragging her out.

Elf would be alright, even without magic. She could fight, she could hold off the guards. Everything would be alright. Nothing bad would happen to anyone, and they would make it back safely. Yet the more he repeated that optimistic mantra, the less he believed it.

The two ran through the halls making guesswork of where the cage could be. Their best bet was to go down stairs and elevators and through halls past anyone who saw them or not. Down further and further into who knew where…

Into a room where they could not see past their own noses. The two tiptoed with pipes they grabbed off the floor as makeshift weapons.

"Spyro? Spyro?" Cody whispered furiously.

"Cody!?"

The boy jumped at his partner's voice. There the cage was, past the dark and the budding tears. Without caution or thought, Cody ran to his friend's form locked away.

"Spyro! Are you okay, I thought, I-I mean I didn't, I'm sorry I-"

"Hey, hey, hey, me too. Just save the completed sentences after you bust me out of here." Cody nodded. With the pipe in hand, he slammed at the bars. He smashed at the poles with strength he didn't know he possessed, and each blow managed to crumple the bars. A final blow at the lock shattered it and the door flew open, with Spyro following suit.

"That does always work."

"Spyro, I shouldn't have turned you down." Cod spoke in between breaths. "Maybe if I did, this wouldn't have happened."

The dragon's claw came to his shoulder; he looked to see a shamed yet smiling face. "No, it's fine. I should have kept my cool. You wouldn't have had to spring me out if I didn't go rushing off."

"Let's just go back. Then we can-"

"CODY!"

All three turned to the enraged shout. Officer Evans stood before them, his face contorted into overwhelming fury and muscles tensed. Cody couldn't process all the levels of shock; he had been used to anger from his father, but to face it here of all places. But there was also… the gun in his hand pointed at all of them.

He croaked. "D-Dad?"

"Shut it! Get away from that thing, now!"

Katelyn blinked. "You're Cody's father? What are you doing here? How did you even know to find this place?"

"You must be Ms. Emeraude. My apologies for whatever my kid dragged you into." He had softened a bit before turning back to his son and hardening into a scowl colder than the arctic. "I got a call from Leichter, saying you were wandering around in the abandoned park. I ought to slap some sense into you just for that, but now I find you playing with monsters? Of all the idiotic things-"

"Wait, Mr. Leichter?" Cody froze at his father's glare after interrupting him.

"Whoa, whoa, rewind a bit!" Spyro took charge, leaping in front of Cody and shielding him with his wing. "You're Cody's jerk of an old man? What is your problem!?

The officer raised his pistol. "Don't make another move!"

"Just as I told you. Leave the kids to their own devices and they make all kinds of weird moves. Suppose he gets it from his mother."

Another familiar voice, or so he thought. It had become cold and cruel, and the kindly man with a smile it always came from now stepped out in full military garb. Hands crossed behind his back and a shadow beneath his own hat with a darkness in his stance and glare to match. His footsteps clacked along the ground almost fissuring the metal floor. Joining his father, the two-faced man stared in judgment at the boy lost for words.

"Cody, what do you think you're doing?" Leichter gave a slow shake of the head. "You haven't caused your family enough pain?"

Spyro snarled. Flicks of flame came from his jaws. "Back off, creep! You're not hurting Cody."

"You've got it backwards, freak. That kid is the one who does the hurting." Cody stopped frozen as Leichter pointed towards him. "Playing around with monsters is a clear sign that, like Alice, he doesn't care who or what he hurts."

"How dare you!" Katelyn cried. "Cody is the sweetest boy I have ever met! He would never hurt anyone."

"The family will tell you another story. Or do you want to tell them yourself, Cody?" The boy didn't respond. Leichter's smile grew into a smirk, mercilessly drawing out an old wound. "She was such a sweet thing, regardless of anything else. To think you would… take her away."

Everything slipped into darkness; it was just him in a pocket of reality and nothing else. The one thing he couldn't face. The truth behind everything was coming out. From there, everything else just came back.

A little boy in a hospital hallway, beaten with cuts and bruises all over him, facing screaming adults. He felt the sting of slaps, heard the breaking of glass, and their screams turned into screeching white noise that he desperately tried to shut out. He was just a five-year-old – how could he have done such a thing? It wasn't his fault. But he might have just been running from it all. Cody opened his eyes once more, dazed and dead.

"I.. did it… I did it…" He mumbled brokenly, tears starting to fall.

"Code?"

"Wallowing in guilt isn't going to do you any good now. Guards, kill the beast."

Tens to hundreds of clicks came from all around them. With the lights on, Cody could see they came from hundreds of men all aimed to kill at the slightest trigger. Cody stopped breathing.

It couldn't happen again.

"No!"

A gunshot fired from whichever direction. He didn't know where, just that the sound came. Along with a flash of pain in his arm, along with something warm coming out, and his body going cold. Then came the press of the metal on his skin.

"C-CODY!" Spyro's scream.

* * *

Everything faded to black again. He heard voices and opened his eyes to the darkness again, and Spyro's tearful face in front of his with Katelyn's nearby. The boy blinked in between breaths.

"Cody! Spyro, don't move him! He's hurt." Katelyn spoke.

"Code! Cody! Are you okay! Talk to me! Cody!" Spyro yelled shaking him, just keeping him conscious.

"Leave me…"

"What?"

Even blurred purple was too much to look at. He rolled away, gasping at the pain. "I told you… I deserve to be alone…"

He shut his eyes, not caring if it was for the last. If it was, his… friend deserved to know the truth. No matter how much it hurt to say it.

"…I killed my mother."

* * *

 **Ohhhhhkay… how do you feel about that bombshell?**

 **I managed to get this out early because I wanted to because the end chapter was such a pivotal moment where Cody reveals the real reason he's as depressed as he is. Also because you guys are a great audience and I had more time to write this week than usual.**

 **Let's be moving onto reviews:**

 **Stephanieeiche10** **: Glad you like the chapter. I'd love to hear a little bit about what you have in mind for your story. If you need someone for critiques, just let me know.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: Sounds like you're getting excited, and that's great. But I must remind you that I do not have that much liberty to update on a weekly basis. I have work and school and job interviews, and that leaves me with little time to write. Writing is a hoppy of mine, so it unfortunately isn't a priority. That said, I am putting effort into this and will give you updates as soon as I can. Please be respectful of my schedule, and thank you.**

 **Bookwriter94** **: Well, you were right on that last guess. But I'm sure no one could have expected any of this. Can't wait to see the reactions here.**

 **Well, I have to leave behind another one. I wish I could update periodically like this but my real life will not allow it. Just a friendly reminder that content creators have their own stuff to deal with too. Just keep tuned for the next chapter when it comes around.**

 **Until then, review, favorite, follow! Till next time!**


	32. Alone Again

_I figured you should know the truth. I wished you never had to know, or just that it didn't happened._

 _But you deserved to know… you really were a friend to me…_

 _It makes sense that from there… everything fell apart._

 _._

He forced himself to look, to see the damage. It came just as he expected. The boy had envisioned this moment for so long in his worst nightmares, engraving the event from start to end. Spyro stood there, wide eyed, mouth gaping without even a twitch as if time had stopped.

"W-what…?" He quivered in a weak voice so unlike him. "What are you talking about?"

He couldn't look anymore. It was betrayal, shock, a slap to the face, everything that he had burned into his memory as prophecy. "Don't make me say it again… please…"

"Code, you… no. Just no. No way! You couldn't have done something like that!"

Cody wished he could tell the dragon it was only a nightmare, but he had seen everything himself, and wished the same thing for who knew how many sleepless nights. Tears burned hotter than dragon flame in both their eyes. His own lungs had burned to ash, and looking to his hands, his skin was just as pale as the first fell. Both Spyro's and Katelyn's hushed breaths came, screams in his ears demanding the truth.

They deserved the truth.

"Mom was… sick. She got that way after I was born." Cody croaked, huddling in. "The hospital tried… they said it was a miracle she lasted as long as she did. The doctor said… childbirth was too much for her…"

Katelyn's feet shuffled towards him. "Cody… that doesn't make it-"

"Yes, it does!" He screamed, backing three, five steps away. The boy drew his hood, crumbling further. "Everyone in my family… they kept screaming it in my face. They threw me out of the room, they… they screamed, they slapped me, they cornered me."

"C-Cody…"

"They said 'it's your fault,' 'you poisoned her,' 'murderer,' 'it should have been you'…" Cody clenched in as tight as he could. Spyro, Katelyn, the base, it all went away. "And my dad… just stood there. Saying nothing…"

The beginning of the end, if not the end itself. Cody remembered those miserable days that dragged on ever since he learned family could cause such pain. He wasn't even allowed to see her in her final moments, nor give any final words the day they held her funeral. He was told to stay locked in his room and not show his miserable face while they held the service, dressed in black and ready in their cars. They said only those who truly cared about her and didn't make her suffer could remember her.

If he'd tried to speak, he'd only find a reminder of that day implanted on his cheek, throbbing red and stinging.

It was a rainy day, as it tended to be during funerals. It came and went while he watched from his window, not even seeing the cemetery across town. He'd gone against their wishes and wore black anyway, but watched the windowpane, every raindrop that fell and slid down the glass, counting the seconds. A boy who lost his mother, and not even allowed to say goodbye, just muttered words of self-loathing to himself even as the ceremony came back to the house. His dad came with more of the same message, promising dinner once everyone had left. Another thing that never came.

Everyone else faded from his life. The family dropped contact, his presence a wedge between them all. Mom's side hated him for taking her away, dad's side for dragging them into the grief. His dad was the last to fade away. The only family Cody could say he had left was the gentle mother he once had, beautiful and kind even on her deathbed.

"My mom told me a story about two friends who got sick… one tried to save her friend on an old story that her wish would be granted if she made a thousand paper flowers, that it could save them." He breathed in through his tears, his voice growing thicker. "I couldn't fold, so I thought I could draw flowers instead…"

"Cody, stop…"

"What a joke!" He screamed hoarsely. "Me trying to save her when I was the one who killed her! And it didn't even work anyway! I drew flowers every day, filling up her hospital room. I only needed one more, one more… and that's when she-"

He ran across the grated floor to the corner, to the dark, to the cold, to anywhere that he could pretend was his room. Anywhere that blended the joy that she lived and the harsh truth that she was gone.

"Cody! Where are you going!?" Katelyn yelled chasing after. "Spyro, say something! Help me talk to him!"

"The story… ended just the same. The girl's friend died, even after the thousand flowers were made. She died soon after." Cody shut his eyes, tears he thought were all gone coming back again.

"I tried… for nothing."

A crash sounded from the door nearby. Several pounds later, the massive wall flung aside to reveal the rest of the team all charging in with a mixture of worry. Swing on the rim and landing at the helm was Stealth Elf.

"Is everyone all right? I found the others and-!" She gasped seeing him in his sorry state. "Cody, you're injured! Don't try to move!"

That's right. He had been shot.

All the coldness and pain he had thought was years of misery were an instant of near-death. The wound flared to life as he grasped his side, panting as he felt the warm liquid between his fingers. Cody heard the others surround him, though he could only make out blurred shapes and sounds. He panted harder, reminded of that day: the aftershock of memory.

He felt a hand grab him to his feet. Their shapes grew blurrier and voices distorted. Eruptor's voice echoing was all he made out. "Easy, easy buddy! You're gonna be okay!"

"Cadets, report!" Professor Jet-Vac, he thought, cried. "What happened to Cody? How did he get hurt? How bad is it?

Ringing, buzzing, the world spinning around from the loss of blood. Was this what it was like?

Clacks against the floor stopped his wonderings.

"Well, that was a wonderful performance to all of our young actors. A tragic twist… to an otherwise obscene horror story." That was Leichter's voice. What was once kind and welcoming had turned cold and hostile. There was a sound like a finger snap, and multiple guns clicked in his head. He remembered the sound of his father's own pistol. "Now you're all under arrest."

"Excuse me, sir, but you cannot arrest us! We are minors!" Anne cried,

"Tune into the news like your parents; you'd be surprised what the government is capable of."

The government? He'd figured it wasn't just some side project of his, obviously enough. Were they going to be locked in cages, placed in jail. Would they be experimented on, or simply killed outright?

"However, I am willing to make you freaks an offer. Let it be said that humans are the more magnanimous species."

"This guy is pushing my buttons!" The blue blur of Pop Fizz bounced around. "If I had buttons! Although my eyeballs go in a little when I press them-"

Elf's voice cut through. "We're listening. What do you want?"

"Give me the stone."

…What?

"What stone?... You don't mean-" Her green skin went pale.

"The Portal?" Spyro asked in place.

Cody gasped, grasping his pocket. What could he possibly want with the Portal?

"Um, lo siento." Pablo tiptoed to the front of the group. He reached for stray stones he had stored in his pocket. "Can I interest you in a different stone? I got this one and this one and… ooh! This one sparkles a bit!"

"Hand over the Portal of Power and I will let you freaks go, never to bother our world again. Win-win in that regard." Leichter closed in on them, a giant with a shadow like a bottomless pit looming over their group all with a sickly smile. "I'll also ensure that the boy is treated, and the kids are returned home. You have my promise."

Cody staggered back, his wound hissing with his steps. "Wait, how did you know the Portal's name? Who are you?"

"Again, government. Do the words 'classified intelligence' mean anything?" The man reached out his hand in peace. "So, what'll it be?"

The Portal almost hummed in his pocket, resisting the cold grip of the man he thought he knew. Cody agreed in full, but if it meant the others could go free, then wasn't it worth it? Spyro and the others could go home and be away from everyone and everything that would hurt them, including him. The Portal hummed again, shivering as if reading his very thoughts. He didn't know what was right anymore.

"We may need a minute to discuss…" Jet-Vac spoke.

Jason pilled him back whispering. "Dude, I don't think the stalling for time tactic is gonna work here. We can just run; use the Portal and blow this place. They'll never be able to follow us."

"They'll shoot us down the minute we tried." Anne's whisper followed. "We need another plan."

Was there another plan? Was there anything else that could mean everyone walked away safe and nothing bad happened?

No. Fate was never that kind.

"Cody!" His father's scream made him go rigid. Blood leaked from his wound as he looked to the furious man. Rage doubled in him with every half-second he spared to look at his mistake of a child. "For once, stop causing trouble for everyone and give Leichter the stupid thing!"

.

"Did you hear me! NOW!"

The pain was gone, the fear was gone, the compassion was gone. Cody only staggered over on mechanical, rusted legs to the men. There was no mind or soul to hear the protests of the others, just the hard memory of his mother's deathbed and him standing like he had a dagger in his hand. He stopped in front of Leichter and reached for the Portal.

He paused, not looking at anyone. "Just tell me one thing… do you think the same as them?"

"What are you-"

"JUST SPIT IT OUT! Do you think I killed her too!? Is that why you hate me!? Do you think I'm a murderer like everyone else!?" He shrieked in hollow life, before his voice withered again. "Just tell me… so I can really say I'm alone…"

There was no response, only the cruel silence that still lingered. Sadistic silence that only left him to wonder.

Why?

Why couldn't someone just say they hated him? He killed a woman who had her life ahead of her, the woman who gave birth to him. What could possibly be more evil or inhuman than taking the life of the very person who gave it? He was a mistake of nature, a murderer just like his relatives said. What was so difficult to believe about that.

The silence only rang, turned to horrible buzzing pounding at his head. His limb ached and withered holding out the stone. Until it was gone. Leichter had taken it from his hand...

What had he done?

"Really now, Gregory. If you're going to deal with this bad soap-opera of a situation, at least do it at home." Cody stared at him, and he only gave a smile, before clenching the stone. "I'm a busy man and I have things to do. Like eradicating all of these freaks of nature."

"Wait, what are you-!?"

"DO IT!"

He tossed the stone upward as bait for a troop of men. They aimed their guns, and pulled the triggers. Everything went in slow motion.

Sparks flew from the stone turning to wild energy. Bullets ricocheted off its surface chipping the Portal piece by piece. Every shard pulled a memory to mind: a face he had seen, an adventure they had, a moment between someone he had dared to call friend. Pieces flew and shockwaves followed as the arcane object fell to the floor destroyed.

Cody wondered if there was such a thing as destiny. He stared blankly at the shattered Portal and thought back to the very night it fell from the stars. He remembered the emptiness that was like now, as if it was his own heart that had become the target of gunfire. Its warmth was no longer felt, the hum of life it gave had gone completely silent. He prayed beyond truth and despair to turn the clock back or to wake up or pull it back together. But… nothing.

He did it again.

"No… no…" Cody muttered, collapsing to his knees. "The Portal… he just-"

Leichter cackled, before snapping his fingers. "Lock up the freaks. Their happy little home is next."

The Skylanders protested as one and lunged for the vile man. More men had just come out from the shadows and stopped them cold. With no magic, all they could do was struggle futilely.

Spyro bit a hand that tried to muzzle him, roaring. "You creep! You lied! You dirty, sleazy- I'm gonna-"

"Rude and violent. See what makes us the better species, gentlemen?" Leichter laughed. "For your information, I did keep my promise. You're free to go… back to your cells to never make a mess of our world again. And the kids are free to go as well. Greg… take your boy home and give him a strict talking to."

"R-Right…"

Cody's arm was hoisted by a rough hand. His father didn't even look at him this time. He looked to the other children with his no-nonsense glare and they obeyed.

"Men, take these creatures away." Leichter snapped and walked away with metal doors shutting behind him.

The Skylanders were hoisted by their captors, beaten if any resistance came or not. "No! No, take your dirty hands off me! Cody, Cody, wait! CODY!" Spyro's scream echoed, though they were only cold slaps to the face now. He knew the truth.

Cody smiled with tears.

"I'm… sorry. You really were better off without me…"

* * *

"Let us outta here, you dirty, two-timing, rock-munchin', lousy, bigoted…"

"I want a lawyer! I know my rights! I plead the fifth of June!"

Eruptor and Pop had been banding everything from fists to faces for over an hour. As far as Spyro could tell, they were knocked unconscious when their captors had played to the sneaky side and sent them to dreamland. The next thing they knew, Spyro could finally tell what an actual prison looked like. Surrounded by bars in a cage to small to even wiggle around in like circus animals. He would never complain about school again; if he ever got back.

"Will you two chowderheads knock it off!" Jet-Vac yelled. He had been sitting still the whole time, probably the best option, certainly the only. "Yell any more and they might just decide to blast us to pieces on the spot!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you have a better plan other than waiting for this creep to blast the Skylands into nothing?" Eruptor yelled.

"Is that any way to talk to your commanding officer!?"

"And that's another thing, enough with the military jargon! Do you think this is some old-time war movie or something!? Seriously, get with the times!"

"Now, listen here!"

"Form a citizen's march! I have petitions! Freedom to the blue guys!" Pop had still been yelling random quotes.

The dragon sighed, wondering if banging his head would make him unconscious again. At least then there would be no more yelling, or no chance to remember that he might have sent them down a slope of misfortune and unfortunate events leading to no friends and no hope of escape. At least there was some win here.

"Spyro?" Stealth Elf's voice came in, as if reading his thoughts. As usual, her voice was the one chiding him for any self-pity parties in his own head. "Hey, I'm all for beating you up for doing something stupid, but this isn't… completely your fault."

It pretty much was. Then again, Elf was never one to sugarcoat the truth. He couldn't bring himself to care either way.

"Look, we'll find a way out of here. We'll get back to the Skylands and warn everybody and deal with this guy. Kaos, too." Her hand still managed to squeeze through the bars to give him a smack upside the head. Either Leichter and fate had some big collusion going on, or she needed to work out more. "But we're not gonna get any of that done moping around in cages. Now, help me get these guys under control."

"What about Cody?"

"Huh?"

"Cody. What about Cody?"

What _about_ Cody? Where could he begin? The argument, the bombshell, the separation? The meeting, the getting along, the distance, the deal? Cody was everything that was on his mind at the moment. That was probably why being comatose seemed so sweet. Was this… how he felt all the time?

"Spyro… what happened back there? Why was Cody so upset? What was he talking about?"

"I-I don't know. I thought I did. I thought a lot of things, like how I was some big-shot hero, ready for the world." He laid down, staring at his scales and their lack of luster. His pit felt cold from metal and from the hole that had sprouted. "I thought I could handle life on my own. I thought I was fine without anyone else, that I could always save the day."

The dragon shut his eyes. Bars faded, sights and sounds disappeared. Only the darkness so familiar was left waiting. A single tear fell down his scales.

"But I… couldn't even help my best friend."

* * *

Everything remained unchanged.

There Cody was, sitting in his room with the dull light of morning. The year had stretched by into autumn and he had hardly noticed, save for its herald of colder weather and storm clouds. Chilling, gloomy weather that led kids around the world know the fun and games of summer were over. His game was done as well.

Honestly, the way he was back in his chair surrounded by bare white walls and clear floors, bedsheets without a wrinkle, it never even started. The boy would stare at the lines of wood lost to the sheets of dust huddled in his chair. The Skylanders, crystals, heroes, and Spyro… none of it ever happened. Just a fond little dream that the waking world wrenched away from him.

A knock came on his door. True to the status quo, it was a familiar voice.

Ms. Phillips entered the room, purple wool sweater, long skirt and glasses just as he remembered. "Cody… it's been a while. I thought you'd been doing okay."

He was stupid for thinking the same, he thought.

She gave a long sigh. "Here you are again, sitting in your room in the dark, waiting for time to pass you by. You had really been doing good, even made new friends."

"I didn't…"

"That's odd… because if that's the case, I don't know who came with me to see you."

"SORPRESA!" Pablo's excited Spanish shout near broke the walls after years of silence. Cody turned to face him and all the others gathered around Ms. Phillips all with a range of emotions on their faces. "We brought you a little cheer-me-up present!"

There was a batch of cupcakes on a tray in the other boy's hand. Pink frosting with a red-frosting letter on it, the whole batch spelling 'F-R-I-E-N-D-S.' It was nice, if not a little corny. Mostly though, it was ridiculous that they thought it could work. Cody just stared at the tray and the other kids, whose smiles (for those that were wearing them) were fading.

"…I'll leave you kids to your business." Ms. Philips made for the open hallway. "Cody, if you want to go back to home schooling, that's fine. But you clearly need something no book or alone time can give you."

There was her piece as she closed the door. Cody's head sunk another league into his knees.

"We need to talk. About Leichter." The voice was Jason's, along with the grab on his arm. "So get up off your sorry butt, get it in gear, and get-"

"… Why did you come?"

They paused.

The first to recover from any awkward situation, Katelyn spoke. "Cody, we came because we were worried about you."

"He just said otherwise." Cody referenced the one who still had his arm captive.

Anne followed. "Look, it's been a trying time for everyone, these past few days. But there is something we need to do. Leichter clearly has something planned for the Skylanders. If he is prepared to wage all-out war, then-"

"It's not our problem."

Everyone gasped. Cody couldn't blame them; even he had been shocked by how cold the words sounded once spoken. Jason's fist just moved to his shirt and dragged him out of the seat, hoisting him to look at the other's fury.

"Not our problem? They're our friends, our partners!" Jason clenched tighter, ready to punch. "Their entire world is in danger and you just want to sit back and do nothing!? Did I hear that right, pipsqueak?"

"Trying doesn't do any good anyway. What's the difference?"

"What about Spyro? You just want to leave him to die in a cage?"

"It wouldn't be the first time I got someone close to me killed…" Every word sickened him to say, but it was natural, given his record. Jason just shoved him back into his seat, just as disgusted. Cody dared not to look back. "Just face it. Try or don't try, the end result is the same…"

It was a harsh lesson to learn, but life had it coming sooner or later, he supposed. There was no point in even having a discussion over it, though he really just didn't want to tell anyone again. There was no such thing as real miracles, nothing that could make pain or sadness stop. Life was a cruel mother teaching its children that worlds of sugar, fairy tales and fantasy were just sweet toys for children until they had to throw it away.

Real life was cold, it was brutal, and it didn't forgive those who tried to find a way out. He put faith in some children's story; it shouldn't have been a surprise how it turned out. The best thing to do was to just fade into darkness. It was no life, but it was living.

The room remained silent, no sounds at all. No sounds, including the muffled footsteps from the others. They were still here.

"Cody, I know you don't feel that way. What we saw in that arena was real, I know it was." Katelyn's voice resounded, like a soft chime on the wind bringing life into the dead space. "Everything we experienced with our partners, everything you experienced with Spyro. That had to be worth more than an eternity in this room. You just need to… open up to it."

Open up to it?

He was a fool to ever open his door, to even peek out the window for some stupid meteor shower. So what if it was a once in a lifetime opportunity? So were many things: it didn't mean he was sorry he missed out on them. People should have just left him alone.

That was what he wanted. He was still a kid so he could be selfish. It was just what everyone else had, after all.

The heiress's hands took his, and reflected by her sympathy, he saw the dead look in his eyes. It was fitting. He died as well that day, and everything that came with it. Still, her touch gave warmth like he hadn't felt in so long. Or… maybe he did.

"What you really wanted… isn't here. Your mother would want you to have everything that's waiting for you beyond that door."

Cody sighed, letting five years of misery show. His hands slipped lifeless from hers. "Skylanders are heroes… I told them they'll never want someone like me." He found his hand reaching for a stone that was no longer there. "Besides, the Portal is gone. There's no way to get back there."

"Someone better tell Leichter that. Or else he's gonna look so estupido!" Pablo giggled despite the mood.

"He still seemed confident that he could do it." Anne murmured in thought.

"He did… he did seem like he knew another way." Cody followed Anne down the same slope. Soon, all the kids were doing the same. "If he does know… but then, he also…"

His actions and tone, their conversation from months ago, were all coming back. There was a common thread that light was just now showing.

Could it be?

Cody rose from his seat. He went for the closet and grabbed his backpack. Everything from notebooks to unused camping gear and the like went in. With a breath that seemed like his last he made for the doorway.

Jason blinked. "Wait, where are you going?"

"This place is where I belong. No one can tell me otherwise. But before I come back, there's something I need to know."

* * *

 **Well, this was depressing. Quite the chapter to post on Easter weekend, but there another side to it for those who love a little heart in their stories.**

 **To sum it up, since people got really curious, Cody's mother dies as a result of childbirth. The effects are more instantaneous from what I've read on the subject: mothers live as long as 42 more days after the child is born before maternal death if it doesn't occur before or during the pregnancy. For this story, I imagined that Alice got sick after giving birth to Cody. So it wasn't giving birth to him that killed her directly, but it did serve as the catalyst.**

 **Makes me wish I had done more research on the matter. This just shows that doing your homework is important. Because yes, it if was the maternal death, then Cody would have been much younger when she died.**

 **As far as the rest of the family was concerned, it was his fault. So Cody was unfairly blamed for killing his mother and he lived with that guilt. A tragic thing. But hopefully, he's taking his first steps to true recovery.**

 **So onto the reviews:**

 **Desmond bot** **: I want to say yes, by the end of this, Cody and Spyro will have a close relationship. The big thing that drew them together was they both knew loneliness and related to each other despite their differing personalities and backgrounds. Cody's dad and Leichter… well, I'll leave that to your imagination.**

 **DragoFogg** **: I know, right?**

 **Bookwriter94** **: This is the part of the story when secrets will be revealed. Cody's revelation was only part one of the surprises coming. Leichter has a beef with Skylanders, that's for sure. Then again, isn't that usually the case with power-hungry military generals? Thank you, Marvel.**

 **Guest** **: That's the great part about stories, isn't it? When you get something totally unexpected?**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: Don't worry too much about it. And yes, Cody really isn't to blame for his mother's death – he just thinks he is, and now you know why. Traumatic experiences can leave us with scarring thoughts. Spyro, well, he was lucky to get a coherent thought out of his own head between hearing a confession like that, seeing his friend shot, and being locked up. But don't worry: Spyro's gonna be really cool in the next chapters.**

 **So that wraps up a heart-wrenching new addition. By far, this is the longest chapter I've written in some time. But it was necessary to get all the feels going. I'll leave you with this to cry over.**

 **Until next time, review, favorite, follow! Happy Easter to everybody!**


	33. Into the Abyss

There they were again, running down the sidewalk into that abandoned lot; a few days had done as much as the years before in wiping out the stenches and blowing away the dust. Autumn's chill was in full effect despite the time, seeping through his own jacket no matter how its layers stood up. Cody couldn't care less if the remains of the old rides lost their bearings and crumbled around him. Though he sneaked, he almost charged forward like a knight on his steed.

The others were running behind, almost unable to keep with his pace. They all ducked down by the entrance to the old lot, wrapped in a thick wall of metal grating. Ahead of them past a row of broken games, tattered, color-faded tents and junkyard-ready attractions was the house of mirrors that cast illusions and cast them aside. A gateway into the abyss where everything was lost, found, and lost again.

Jason pulled him from its eerie sight for a moment back in reality. "I know I said we needed to do something but I didn't mean just charge through the front door."

"I'm not planning on charging. I'm going to walk up."

Just as he said, Cody stood and marched into the hall. Nothing could surprise or hurt him anymore. Whatever the boy could tell himself to guide himself another step forward.

Pablo blinked. "Well, you can't argue with that logic!"

"You can certainly try," spoke Anne as the group rose to follow their… leader? Cody didn't think he fit any kind of title like that. "This place has more soldiers than spiders: you said you wanted an audience with Leichter, but I don't think you'll get past the front door with them guarding the way."

Cody exhaled, likely the shakiest breath he'd ever given. "…Which is why we're going to find where he is and sneak up on him.

The group stopped.

Katelyn lunged grabbing him by the wrist. "Cody, you know how dangerous this is, right?"

"Yes… but I need to know something from Leichter..." Cody spoke without looking back to her. "If I'm right, the Skylands will be okay. I owe Spyro this, at least."

"Did you hear that?"

They had snuck into a nearby concession stand as soldiers ran out like sliding on their webs, armed with rifles. No one made a peep, not even Pablo though he was hiccupping through his closed mouth. Everyone knew soldiers taking mercy on children wasn't the likely scenario here: an 'accident' was waiting to happen.

Their heads ducked below the seats to see the stuck gum and leftover trash as a guard swept his rifle. "Who's there!? Show yourself!"

Slowly and avoiding any stray junk, they slid out the back end. One by one, single-file, like the world's most dangerous field trip they snuck past further tents and rolled in under the tarp at stray foot movement that alerted the guards. They darted or rolled past any opening where a man could catch a glimpse of stray color from them. Still their cautious paces matched the kids rushing at full panicked speed, and every stop for a guard to pass was like an endless repeat of the shot to his side. Cody gripped the still-reeling wound desperate to forget.

The others ran hearing the new warning of the armed men, tension pulling them away one by one. Peeking under the cloth of his own spot, Cody found everyone suddenly scattered in all directions, stuck in hiding places as a guard closed in. Jason and Katelyn were just behind another tent, Anne behind a ticket booth, and Pablo was who knew where.

His own heart was racing, able to give Spyro a run for his scales. In the dark he reached for the nearest item, a can of soda, aluminum slipping in his cold hand. The boy threw the can as far in the other direction as he could.

"I heard something!"

The guards ran at the small clang like bullets. Cody called the others towards the tent as he ran himself. They all gathered at the entrance, pale and breathless.

Rows of mirrors passed them as they ran in, no longer fazed. Their feet clacked along the ground in a volley of sounds announcing them. Every emotion: fear, anxiety, anger, confusion, maybe even excitement raced through them on one reflection in that room. They found the secret hatch and opened it as one, finding themselves back in the underground base hiding in an empty room.

"Okay, now what?" Jason asked, irritated.

"The soldiers need to be gathered together so we can sneak through them," Cody announced. "We need a distraction."

Katelyn spoke up, not one to back down. "Pablo and I can do it. We'll trigger the alarms and get the soldiers moving."

"We're on it like queso on carne!" Pablo could stay optimistic in any situation.

Cody nodded. "The cameras will need to be deactivated too, so they don't see us coming."

"I still got my slingshot; I never miss a target." Jason flicked out his slingshot and spinning it in his hand.

"And I still remember the way to where we were last caught. It looked to be a storage facility of some sort." IT was only natural of Anne: she was smart, and that meant a good memory.

It was almost a shame that he didn't deserve such a group. He shouldn't have ever met them – maybe he'd just do to them what he did to his mother. It was inevitable. Cody shook the gloomy thoughts from his head – the task at hand before he could go back to normal. "You think so?"

"All these supplies, and the fact that this base is even stationed here? It all suggests that there is some top-secret development they don't want the public to know about."

"Then we'll go and find whatever they're hiding. We have to find the Skylanders too."

"Okay, so we got a game plan after all." Jason said with a smirk

"Lock onto our phones' signals so you can meet up with us later," said Anne showing her phone.

The group split two ways. Jason led the charge, not a camera in sight left unbroken as he aimed with spare pebbles or whatever he could find. Anne led them around the corridors before man or machine could even catch a glimpse. Alarms began to sound in the distance, suggesting Katelyn and Pablo had done their work and the base was in a frenzy. Everything was going well – he would just have to hope it stayed that way.

"Be careful everyone…"

Cody only hoped he wasn't jinxing the good effort once again.

* * *

"Status report."

Leichter stood arms at his back at the lab full of researchers with a deep scowl. 15 minutes of men running with papers, keys clicking on keyboards, and screens changing. The stench of coffee only grew stronger, and that was the only change at all. Every second made him think the budget was less significant.

One of the scientists next to him spoke looking at his clipboard. "Sir, the tests have been completed. All signals are green, and we've achieved 65% capacity. But I must stress that we just barely achieved that rate. If this continues-"

"You're paid to work, son, not give opinions. If it fails, then work around the clock to get it up and running."

"Sir, interdimensional travel is the stuff of science fiction! To attempt to pull it off, even with your contribution-"

Incompetent buffoons. He whiplashed to face the other man and grabbed him by the scruff of his coat, red faced.

"My contribution is what's going to make the difference!" The general pulled the man close and shoved him away. "You will get it integrated with our equipment and tear open a hole to that forsaken world!"

The scientist wanted to protest more about the safety of it all, it looked like. One more word would mean his job. But then, the room flashed with red and a blaring sound came into earshot. The scientists fell out of their chairs and papers flew out everywhere, their eardrums blasted from halfway across the room.

"The alarm!" Leichter reached for his radio. "Report! What is going on!?"

A voice on the other end crackled. _"Sir, the alarm was triggered but there doesn't seem to be any sign of intruders. The origin points were all clear."_

"'Points'? The alarm was triggered in two locations?"

" _Sir, control room! The cameras are going offline, one by one!"_

His eye twitched gripping the radio. "Pull up the feed! Get the last bit of recorded footage!"

He marched with a scientist as he accessed the monitors apart from mountains of lines of code. The staff didn't know what they were doing, clearly, as they fuddled with apps – a high-end degree and they couldn't work a camera. Leichter shoved the man away and opened the monitors. The screen was fuzzy and lines distorted the image, but shapes could be seen in the midst of everything.

Small shapes from behind a corridor, there for only a second. One had aimed and the screen went black. Leichter slammed the keyboard, startling the staff. They looked back to the screen as he turned.

"Is-is that a kid!?"

Not just any kid, the general thought. The doors opened and Leichter marched through.

"Just like his mother…"

* * *

Their team was back together, beating the odds. Everyone was out of breath and more than a little unnerved, and speaking from experience, Cody couldn't blame them. The important thing was that everyone had regrouped and was now in front of a massive door with warning labels and a complex keypad blocking their way.

Anne stared towards the door. "Calculating walking speed and time, this had to be the room Leichter came from."

"Does it matter?" Jason asked. "We aren't getting in there."

Pablo hopped over to the console and reached for his pocket, pulling out a clod of… something. Another food concoction, or something, that he poured all over the keypad. It fizzled and sparked before beeping, and the door was opened. Their jaws dropped while Pablo smiled.

"Er… Shall we?" Cody asked.

The others said nothing and followed. The room was a large space, with the floor tangled in a bramble of wires. It was an undulating floor that made it seem almost otherworldly underfoot. Before them was a massive device, a large ring where all the wires led to, humming and beeping almost as though it was alive. Air was stagnant, frozen, sucked into the gleaming blue light that was atop the ring. The children all stepped forward, drawn along the wires to the source.

"What… is all this? It's like something from a movie…" Katelyn asked, her voice quivering in awe of the same strange force as the rest of them.

Cody was the first one to snap free from the spell. He looked around the room for anything resembling a cage or at least another door. "Spyro? Spyro, are you here?"

A screech rang throughout the room. Feedback from an intercom.

" _Really now, my boy. If you wanted to see your freak friends so badly, all you had to do was ask."_ The boy and friends looked to see Leichter staring down at them from a glass control panel with a half-dozen other men. Leichter walked away for a few minutes and reappeared at the floor via an elevator. None of which they noticed, embarrassingly. "Unfortunately, I don't give visiting hours freely."

Jason readied his slingshot with the biggest rock he had saved out of the lump in his pocket. "You've got five seconds to tell us where our partners are or else you're gonna have a major headache."

"Oh, the threats of children. They're almost cute." Leichter smiled. "Children should be taken care of, to keep them from getting wild ideas? Could you not do that… Greg?"

Time turned backwards with the rest of them.

Once again, at the door, was Cody's father, enraged as a wild beast. Cody's surprise was a solemn one.

"Dad?"

He didn't know why, never guessing that even his policeman father would chase him just as he chased answers. The boy should have guessed or seen some sign that his father was intent on jailing him as he would any other criminal. But he didn't mind – in a strange way, he wanted it. And yet…

The man spoke, puce-faced as always. "Cody, I told you to stay home. How dare you diso-"

"Go home, dad. I already have my answer." Cody turned back to Leichter.

Behind, he heard his father stammer, and it made him blink. His dad, always the one to speak and never letting others. A pit formed inside him. "Cody… you have it all wrong. I'm not-"

No more. He could drag him home or do the deed later.

"Mr. Leichter… I came here because I want to free my friend. He deserves better than this; he's not like me." Cody breathed as best he could, wincing in recollection of the shot and everything else that went wrong whenever he and this man stood within an inch of one another. "But I also wanted to know something."

"Really? Well, I am nothing if not courteous. I do care for children."

The hypocrisy, Cody thought. "Your daughter, Mallory. The reason she was so fixated on me – was that because of you?"

"Clever. As a matter of fact, yes. I saw the meteor shower that night and had a sneaking suspicion when reports told of a crash near your home. I needed to be sure. Having my daughter as student council president was the perfect cover to find if you had the Portal."

Anne blinked. "Is-is that why she asked me to investigate Cody and the others? I was her pawn and she was yours!"

"Now, now, that makes me sound so deceptive." Leichter chuckled, placating. "I just wanted to make sure a dangerous object such as that was kept out of the wrong hands."

"Dangerous?" Katelyn flashed a glare with a foot stomp in extra. "What about the Skylanders do you think is dangerous? Do you really think they're trying to harm you?"

"Although at this point, you kinda deserve it, estupido!" Pablo screamed with arms flailing.

"Really? You took more than a good look at those abominations – you really think they're harmless?" The man laughed at them for what he saw as foolishness. He cackled like he was the smartest man in the world. The others must have all felt the same irritation as him. "They're a threat to humanity, a threat to our world! Heroes, ha! That's just what they want you to think!"

"You don't even know them!" Katelyn screamed.

"I know them better than you think, girl! I've been observing them, for years!"

Everyone gasped. "What!? How?"

"Our gloomy little friend already has the answer, I'm willing to wager."

He gestured to Cody. The boy looked to the floor, to the walls, but his gaze kept going back to one place. The ceiling, the top of this ridiculous machine. There was only one possible explanation, but it made no sense nonetheless. Cody's arms went limp with the senselessness of it all. His lips quivered, not wanting to believe the words that escaped.

"That's why you destroyed my Portal, that's why you knew things would go your way… "

The gleam dimmed, as if a face turning to reveal itself to an unsuspecting other. In the dark, people tend to find truths they didn't want or expect to see. But there it was, stone rim, otherworldly runes, and glowing center. A Portal.

"No way…" Jaosn's shock stirred into anger slowly. "He has one? No! There's no way this creep could be a Portal Master!"

Cody breathed and he stepped forward. A sense of calm came over him in the same way. "Jason's right. Portal Masters are meant to protect and help people. You just want to destroy the place you're supposed to help." He stopped at arm's length towards Leichter with a stony stare pointing at the gem in the machine. "That doesn't belong to you."

As always, the more he went into this man's world, the uglier the smile he gave. "Oh, it's mine now. And I'm never letting it go!"

"And I will never let you hurt the Skylands, or Spyro. I'm going to protect it all from you!"

His father stared in the background, forgotten. "Cody…"

For once, the smile faded. There was no bother to pretend he was the kind, smiling friend of the family he always appeared to be, rubbing the truth off him. They had delved into the deepest depths where he had nothing more to hide, where shadows saw no point in keeping shade atop his secrets. The man walked past the boy and a chill ran down Cody's spine, as though his skin froze from the air in Leichter's presence.

Neither faced the other, neither spoke more of their intents. Nothing could shock him anymore, he said – no depth was too deep for him to travel. Cody's enemy's next words proved him so wrong.

"…I should have known you'd make the foolish decision to save these creatures. Your mother tried to do the same thing!"

Time had stopped, Leichter's screams echoing. To breathe was to drink in his words, know that the shadows were cast aside. The children stood in silence with disbelief seared on their pale faces.

"What?" Cody's father spoke. "Alice… my wife knew about all this!?"

And there it was.

In the shadows, in that pallid air that came, was memories that he'd blocked out. Memories of bedtime stories with dragons and elves, fairy-tale games with wizards and monsters. All tied to an island in the sky – it was his mother's favorite game to play with him: how they'd draw pictures and make up adventures for all those many people she'd come up with. He always thought it was his mother's incredible imagination.

Maybe Cody simply didn't let himself remember. If he had, he might have been able to piece everything together sooner and they could have avoided this. His wound flared like a slap to the face – another regret to punish himself with.

"Oh, Alice tried to stop me long before this became a reality. All that nonsense about them being our friends and their little fantasy world being so amazing! Well, guess what? You're going to be as successful as she was!" The man snapped his fingers and the wall opened to their side. "Since you're so intent to help your little friends, you can all be crushed together!"

The glint of steel came into the light as cages emerged from the walls. They were small enough that even breathing could be hard-pressed. It was sick yet clear that the Skylanders would be held in those cages, and sure enough there they were. Each of them looking worse for wear, but all noticing their partners across the room.

Spyro was the first to jump up gripping the bars. "Cody? Cody!"

"Guys, you're alright!" Stealth Elf cried. "What are you doing here?"

"Joining you in death! Men, kill them all!"

The walls and doors whirred open, the windows lifted, and every entry led to a hundred men pouring in. They now had at least 50 soldiers holding them at gunpoint fingering their triggers, and none were looking for a graze along the side. Cody sweat, looking for any way out, but each direction had him staring down a barrel. His fists clenched.

Not here. Not now. Not yet.

"Oh no, you don't!" Jason screamed. He shot at the machine top, knocking out the spare Portal. "Cody, now!"

"Amigo, heads up!"

Cody ran at Jason and Pablo's screams out the gate. The two boys caught his foot as he leapt towards them and vaulted him upward. The Portal fell, twisting and turning in slow motion. He reached out, fingering the space between his hand and the stone and straining his bones to bridge it. It was nearly there, almost, almost…

Got it!

"He's got the Portal!" Eruptor cried.

"Good show, lad!" Jet-Vac cheered in turn.

Cody landed before the Skylanders with the other kids in tow. He clenched his eyes and gripped the stone as tight as he could. "Everybody, hold on!"

"NO!"

A Portal opened between them and the rows of guards, massive like the maw of a beast. It inhaled with a gust of wind, pulling in debris and sheets and whatever was too weak for the grip. The cages flew from the wall and each kid held onto their partner's as magic and gravity did the rest of the work and pulled them in swirling and disappearing.

In a flash, they were gone. The room still had the army with their guns, its machines, Cody's father, and Leichter. The kids and the Skylanders, though? They were gone. Leichter had the creatures and the Portal, and now, red-faced, he had neither.

"No, that Portal is mine! I WILL NOT LET THEM GET AWAY!" Leichter screamed sweeping out to all his men. He turned to the machine his stolen prize once powered.

"READY ALL WEAPONS! WE'RE GOING IN!"

* * *

 **Well, that's the end of that chapter. I think I started out okay, but then faded. If I could give myself criticism, I think a lot of scenes I write are too conversational or dialogue heavy.**

 **Anyway, one of the big mysteries is finally revealed. Cody's mother knew about the Skylands. She had a Portal, Leichter knew about it, that led to a big rift. And yet the drama is still not over! We are coming into the endgame (pardon the Avengers terminology) so there is still more to reveal.**

 **On that note, a bit of distressing news.**

 **I'm sure people are aware of the unfortunate news update, that Skylanders Academy was cancelled at three seasons. It is a disappointment to a lot of fans who were expecting further adventures – I know I was; after all, I owe my love and interest in Skylanders to this show. Of course, this franchise seems to have been pushed aside in recent years: the show came out to coincide with the release of Imaginators, which was an influence as to Cy's appearance. Ever since then, it's been quiet on the Skylander front.**

 **Of course, the show could have been cancelled for any number of reasons. Netflix doesn't like to give information, and neither does Activision Blizzard Studios apparently.**

 **Now, there was the Ring of Heroes mobile game that came out late last year, but that was a third-party sort of thing. Still, I want to think, or at least I imagine, that they could do another series based on that. Maybe a sequel series based on certain elements from that game. After all, the third season's ending did play out like a series finale, but it was also a bit of an open door for a new journey, most fans agree. The franchise is down, but it's not entirely dead.**

 **Fans have been giving it support on social media like Twitter. Go ahead and cast your love for the series as well. On that note, let's hear some love here. Onto the reviews:**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: Thank you for your patience, and don't stress out too much. I appreciate the excitement, honestly. And yeah, it isn't really Cody's fault – he just thinks it is. Here Cody wants to know the truth, so now he has to come face to face with it on multiple ends. That means dealing with his guilt as well.**

 **BookWriter94:** **Yeah, grief makes people do crazy things, not to mention there was conflict in the family long before. When Alice died, everyone pinned everything on Cody because they saw him as a problem to begin with. Cody is finally starting to recover and is realizing that he still has things to live for regardless of that. As for Leichter and why he hates the Skylanders, let's just say that Cody's mother plays a big part into his reasoning.**

 **Hope I can get more reviews. This one got pretty juicy with such a big reveal. Again give your love to the show on social media, maybe start a petition to bring it back. Stay tuned for the next chapter – it's going to be a real heartwarmer.**

 **As always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	34. To Heal a Heart

_There we were again, back where it started._

 _Machines and magic, Earth and Skylands, threats and allies from all sides. But of all things, there was that one thing still hanging in the air._

 _How the past affected the here and now, if you considered me a true friend, and what that meant._

 _._

Eon, in the midst of shifting his papers and skimming through stacks of his tomes, sipped from his mug, a blend of luminiaries ground and mixed with herbs into a fine tea. It settled the rattles in his pit, or what remained of the brew after Hugo served it trembling as though his body were locked in his own earthquake. His mabu assistant carried on pacing at a jog-like speed across the floor long enough to set grooves into the hard brick, a sight not seen since he'd fallen into the conspiracy belief that sheep had been posing as instructors for night classes.

Not that Eon blamed him for his fears, for once logical. He'd been doing whatever he could to appear busy or composed. The sage massaged his beard when drops of tea trickled down his facial hair. Should it lose its pristine sheen, he feared the school would descend into Kaos. All the while, the clock ticked another second away at their sane exteriors.

At last, after much more pacing and mumbling, the mabu lunged at Eon's desk. "Master Eon, do you think now would be a good time to alert the Skylanders, the Senseis, the Mabu Defense Force, or really anyone you would call in a state of defcon-5!?"

"Hugo, I know you're worried. We all are, but we must have faith."

"Faith?" A cocky voice asked with a chuckle to boot. "That ship has sailed and crashed and burned. Of course, I know nothing about that, sounds like a perfectly legal thing, my insurance covered it."

"Thank you, Flynn."

He hadn't seen the pilot since the students' initial field trip to the Falling Forest where Cody was first found. When he'd asked as to his whereabouts, all he got was a shanty that quickly went into a round of the pilot's atypical boasting. The sage had preferred to let things be.

Hugo had by now crawled full-belly onto the table. "But sir, we haven't heard from the students for days! We sent them to the lair of a dangerous villain bent on world domination."

"I thought they went to Kaos's place."

Indeed, they had. Eon gripped into the splinters of his mug's handle.

He'd been against it, he knew of the dangers, and yet he'd placed too much stock in the fact they had Portal Masters on their side. Five untrained Portal Masters could easily outmatch one, in addition to two of his own staff and Skylander cadets. Then there was the unmistakable fact of their victory against the Doom Raiders, and Eon foresaw visions of grandeur and made the poor judgment that mere children had become invincible warriors of legend in less than a year.

They were still children.

Children who should only have to worry about their next class and homework due, children who should have been able to act the part for a little while longer. It seemed he would never stop making the mistake of assuming well beyond the definitions of special and promise. It may have meant this short time for them was all the time they had. Perhaps the Senseis were right in thinking him too old or playing favorites.

Spyro had promise, Cody had potential – he knew he wasn't wrong. In their time as a pair, things hand become better for them both, a sense of spring and another new potential from them both. They had bonded, shared secrets and time and gained the trust of the students around them in turn. But perhaps in the end, he was moving things too quickly. He rose from his seat and stared to the sky, the beyond that he never failed to forget must have had a limit somewhere.

"We all share your sentiment, Hugo. I can feel it in my follicles that they are facing grave danger." He waved his hand and pulled Hugo to a stand through his magic. "But we cannot simply expect them to appear out of nowhere in the blink of an eye."

A crash came and rattled the floor, the shelves, likely the whole island. All three in the room braced on the nearest object. Suddenly, students' voices were coming by the tens at the door. They wasted no time and rushed outside.

And sure enough, like an answer to prayers.

"Perhaps we can…"

* * *

The sky was the purest shade of blue he had seen cracking open his eyes, laying on the softest grass. Wind blew through Spyro's scales, a gentle breeze like one he hadn't felt in centuries, with the warmth of the sun caressing his scales. He would never complain about school again now that he had gotten a taste of life in an actual cage in a cold dark facility. Here he was, with all his friends on the ground just getting their bearings from the rough landing.

Skylanders were pouring out of every nook and cranny, surrounding them before they could blink. Either it was a beautiful dream in the abyss of some far-off dimension, or they made it back. Hugo and Master Eon came from the back to see them all rising to their feet. Hugo gave him a hug that could crush what was left of his bones.

"Everyone, you're all right! Thank goodness… Though I guess this means I can forget about turning your dorm into my danger room/study."

"Spyro, Cody! Students!" Eon exclaimed with a gentler lift. "My beard knew you'd return!"

"W-We're back?" Elf muttered groggily.

So, it wasn't a dream… They were back. Those really were all his old classmates he'd given the old 'Spyro the Dragon' charm to, only to get it swatted away. All experiences considered, it should have dampened the emotion. Yet seeing the old bricks and bridge and all the classmates that he walked their paths with made his wings flutter.

"Oh, I was wondering by the distinct lack of solid earth. WE'RE BACK!" Eruptor laughed and cried magma tears grabbing all the kids who had gotten dragged along for the ride. "Oh, I could kiss you kids!"

Anne wormed out of his grip. "Please don't. I'd prefer my face not to be melted off."

Spyro chuckled – everything was back to normal. Everyone made it, everything was fine. A star-studded escape, but…

"Cody?" The dragon stopped and spun in circles. "Wait, Cody! Where are you-"

"Master Eon… please tell me one thing before I go."

He snapped at the voice's call and beamed seeing Cody, but the feeling was short-lived. The dragon saw the boy and saw that moment in the stadium all over again, a broken boy calling out to the masses ready to fade away, giving up and going back into the shadows. IT was history on loop seeing Cody clutching his new Portal and bowing his head in sorrow before a troubled Master Eon.

"My mother… did my mother know about the Skylands?" Cody's stare as he raised his head towards the old man was an unspoken plea. "You said I was the first one in ages to have a Portal, to be a Portal Master. Was that a lie?"

"I… did not lie. But why would you say your mother was a Portal Master?"

Cody clenched the Portal, his hand wavering between holding it close or throwing it away. Not surprising given his messed-up mentality. "This Portal was hers. Mine was destroyed, but we found this one on Earth."

Eon put a hand to the boy's restless shoulder. "I can assure you, Cody. I have seen many years in the Skylands and just as many individuals. But another of your world, let alone one who could call herself a Portal Master… I have not."

Seriously?

Master Eon, who was responsible for the gathering of every Skylander here at the Academy and beyond, knew nothing? There had to be something the little guy could get, something the old sage could give. Everyone staring, and that was literally everyone at the moment, was probably thinking the same thing. Cody, though, only hung his head in defeat.

"Guess I'll never know…" He started walking. Just like he did then.

"Huh?" Pablo started. "Amigo, you're not-"

Elf stepped in, fists clenched and voice raised. "Cody, you're not seriously doing this again!?"

"It's over… for real this time." His voice had become a faint whisper the crowd could just make out. "I'll take the Portal and keep it somewhere safe. Somewhere Leichter will never find it. I don't know how, but…"

"Lad, let's not be too hasty!" Jet-Vac reached out. "This isn't the Skylander way!"

"I'm not a Skylander, or a hero, or even a good person. I'm just…" He swallowed, his feet ready to run at anything. "Goodbye."

They'd crossed each other's eyes, as Cody turned to run from everything. Everything they'd built, everything they'd experienced, everything that was Spyro and Cody together. A flash of heat rose from his gut as he'd turned to glare, wanting to be mad at someone else who just slammed the door in his face.

But then he saw the boy's eyes: broken, black, faded with despair. Tears nearly came to his own.

It all made sense, it had to make sense – he had to see the sky looking up instead of down. Cody had been through one tragic nightmare after another: losing his mother, being shunned by his family, locking himself up in a house with no one at all, no one to tell him the sun was coming out tomorrow. No one to tell him that tomorrow was worth waking up for. Someone had to say those words to him, the kinds of words he'd screamed out to an entire stadium.

Who better than someone who needed to hear those words himself?

"Are you going back?"

Cody's foot stopped an inch from the dock. "Huh?"

Spyro turned to him, stepping carefully and really, without any sense as to where he was going or what the right move was. He could admit it: he was vulnerable, he was lonely. Right now, the dragon was speaking to the one and only person he could freely admit that to, not caring who else heard. "You're taking that Portal and hiding it and, and then what? Just go back into that little room again? To rot away?"

Cody rose up, face hardening like a wall of steel. "What does that matter to you? You want to leave more than anything. Now, I can't stop you."

No. Don't say that. Spyro had made that mistake once already. The dragon gulped.

" _Why_ did I want to leave? Why do you want to stay?" He'd reached Cody, their faces inches apart from each other. From there, the world consisted of only them. "What if you want to leave? What if… I want to stay?"

"Just say what you mean. I was a burden to you from the start, wasn't I? Just like with everyone else…"

Stop! Stop saying those things! Spyro held the urge to scream it all out.

Stop thinking you were some venom or plague in people's lives. He'd breathe fire and leak water and stir tornadoes in a frenzy even thinking about either of their pain.

You were the one who was poisoned, thinking things that no one should ever think. Crying more tears than you ever had to, made to feel so alone. No point in competing over who had it rougher, the result of one kid against life on his own was the same no matter how you looked at it. There was no feeling worse than that. Spyro rose on his hind legs and took Cody's hand with the Portal in his own, gripping it before it could even think to run away.

"Look, Cody… if you want a place to be trapped so badly, then…" His other claw enclosed the stone, gripping it just as tight. "Be trapped here."

.

"What?"

He stepped away, as Spyro knew he would. When you've found a nest to roost, no matter how rocky, it's still your nest. It was a dragon thing, and Cody was as much a dragon as any he'd known. But that's not what broke him.

It was that face again. Cody was showing that miserable, dejected, quitting-life face. He was breathing like a wild animal dizzy and drunk with a glazed look in his eyes. The boy's voice was tumbling down that rocky slope, shakier with every sound.

"…What are you talking about?" He stepped back again. "Did-did you not hear what I said!? I killed my own mother! The woman who gave birth to me! I let her die!"

The crowd, forgotten, gasped.

"Cody…"

"She hated me! They all hated me! Wasn't that the same as you!?" The dragon's breath hitched at that. "You and I, people hated us! We hated the world! The only thing we had in common was hate!"

"Code, stop." His own voice broke.

It hurt too much to hear this, hearing it in so blunt of a manner. Pretending it wasn't there or immersing yourself in it, somehow it was still impossible to tell that maybe it was just wanting everything to disappear. His claws dug the earth searching for any word other than hate, the worst word. But his wings shuddered and dropped as though accepting it.

"I'm evil! A plague that poisons everything I touch! I should never have been born! So how can… how can you-!?"

Spyro pounced onto the boy, wrapping him in a bone-crushing embrace of wings, limbs, and love.

"Because… you gave me a reason to stay." The dragon gripped tighter, if that were even possible. "You're my best friend. I, I can't imagine a day without you anymore. If you're there… I'll stay. So, will you stay with me?"

This close, he felt it all. Cody's tears falling, rolling off his scales, his breathing slowed and quickened in some endless tug-of-war. Finally, Cody broke down and held him back, and cried. He cried with all that bottled grief and sadness he had been bottling up for the sake of respect. He just cried.

Everyone cried.

Some more loudly than others. He heard someone blowing snot rockets in the peanut gallery.

"Ew! Professor Pop!" Katelyn cried.

Spyro could hear the mucus dripping. He chuckled. "I have no idea what's going on, but I'm just so emotional!"

Eon took the moment to approach, the stance and hand of the sympathetic father they both needed. Both were fragile, letting their problems and the scared children they made them underneath showing. Eon gave his hands to both of their shoulders, like they were both his lonely kids. What did that make them?

"Young Cody. I sensed from the beginning that you suffered of a weary heart. It was my firm belief that partnering Spyro with you was the best thing for both of you." He breathed in with all that super-tough beard air he bragged about. "I know I gave you the choice to leave, and I will not protest if you do. But will you stay, for Spyro's sake?"

Cody gulped. "I-"

A crash came from across the yard. Fire and smoke erupted, with a ring in everyone's ears. It shook every student's feet and everything else, down to the cobblestones in the yard.

"What was that? An explosion!?" Jason asked.

An airship flapped its oars and rose to the sky. A familiar yet obnoxious voice came from up top. "Hate to break up the lovey-dovey besties' drama but… there's a giant airship outside and I'd guess I'm looking down the barrel of twenty or so cannons."

"Say what!? What did you fools do!?" Terrafin chose now to point fingers. Some things never change.

"Oh, cork it, Sharky! Let's go!" Eruptor yelled out. Best 'charge' ever.

* * *

They'd all reached the back of the school before the echo could fade out, to find there wasn't much of a back of the school anymore. The building had a gaping hole and shattered stones burning to black, and the island had a chunk blown out as if some monster had taken an empowered bite of the rock. A wall of smoke had blocked the smoke, but when it settled, the beast showed itself to the terror of many students.

A gigantic monster with a metal shell and cannons like rows of teeth ready for another bite of the Academy. They smoldered from their last taste and gleamed a voracious sheen down its barrel. The airship flickered, its full form and its outline shifting in between one another fading in and out of reality. The man at the helm, the human man, gripped the controls and held it steady, the beast settling.

Cody recognized him, military uniform and all. He simply couldn't believe it; he wanted to think it was watery eyes playing tricks on him.

"Leichter!?"

Against all sense on top of the entire Skylands, the general had broken through to the other world. Broken through hard with a giant crack in the sky as well as a dozen other ships behind his back. Their classmates all gasped seeing what looked very well like the end of the world at the enrage general's hands.

"Ready all cannons, men! Fire at will!" He screamed to the other ships red in the face. "I want to see these islands go earthbound!"

"How is this possible!? He doesn't have a Portal! He couldn't possibly have followed us!" Jet-Vac screamed. The others all stared at the… surprise between the bird-man's legs. "Well, don't stare."

Cody ran to the edge, his foot's tip teetering into the pit of sky beneath. "Mr. Leichter, stop! You don't have to do this!"

"You!" Leichter pointed every gun and cannon he had into Cody's face. "First your mother and now you! I am not about to let either of you hand our world over to a bunch of dangerous freaks!"

"Stop calling them that!" He gestured to the crowd of students, putting on brave faces whether true or otherwise. "Look at them, are they trying to hurt you!? All you're doing is destroying their home!"

"To think you even sound like her! All you wretched Evanses, all you know how to do is infuriate me!" The general pounded onto the console. Early shots fired, and Cody ducked at the explosions to his sides with a yelp. "Why am I the only one who sees these monsters for what they are!? I have to be the one who defends our world from them! Something she couldn't even think to do!"

Spyro was before him I a heartbeat, wings flared as his shields. "Stay back, Cody! No way I'm letting sergeant psycho here hurt you!"

The others joined in turn. At Cody's sides were all his friends and classmates with weapons raised ready to protect.

"We've got your back, Cody." Stealth Elf cried.

"We all do," added Katelyn.

Cody gave a smile – he wasn't alone anymore. These times were kind to him, as much as they had been cruel to Leichter, and he had been cruel in turn. With a deep breath, Cody stepped forward and held the Portal to him. It glowed as if repulsed at the sight of him.

"My mother… how did she find this?" The boy screamed over the hum of his enemy's ship's engines. "How did she get this Portal? Why didn't she ever tell me?"

Leichter fumed, eyes hidden under the shade of his cap. His growls of hate buried were given aloud. "If you're so eager to know, fine. I'm going to blast all you monster-lovers to smithereens anyway. The two of us were children not much older than you, enjoying a school night together, when it happened. Out of the starry black, that blasted rock fell from the sky right onto her front porch. Of course, she was always too curious for her own good."

Cody blinked. "It was the same for her…"

"I always had to be the one to talk sense into that thick skull of hers. I told her to leave it alone – lord knew where it came from. As always, she didn't listen to a word I said. The next day she came to my house raving like a lunatic! All that nonsense about alternate worlds and friendly monsters and magic! I was ready to slap sense into her!"

Jason rushed up. "Does that mean Cody's mother was chosen as a Portal Master?"

"So she did come to the Skylands." Cody whispered, eyes darting with facts and fiction. But Master Eon said-"

"Months turned to years and in that time, she slipped further and further into that nonsense. I grew more and more adamant about telling her to leave the thing alone! Dump it in the garbage and get back to real life!" Cody grew more alarmed by the rising fury in his rants. "Clearly I was losing my grip on her! In all that time, she sprouted this hero complex saying she had to help those freaks and save a world she knew nothing about. There was only one way I was going to get through to her!"

"You stole the Portal…" Cody spoke breathless.

"Dude, I can admit that I'm good at a lot of things except being a friend." Spyro found his old cockiness despite. "But even I know that was a totally uncool move!"

More than he even knew. Cody wondered if his mom had the same experiences he did.

Maybe she had found her own Spyro, a partner that became an irreplaceable friend to her and took her through the tricky path of her own life. Maybe she had problems it took the perspective of her own personal hero to solve. If so, Leichter had no clue of the grave injustice he had done to her.

Where was there in what he said any clue that he was a friend? The longer he went on, the more it sounded like boasting. What he had done wasn't friendship or reason.

"She brought me to this place at least once. She saw friends and adventure, but you know what I saw!? The truth!" The general spat. "Soon as we got back, I snuck it out of her pack and made sure those delusions were put to bed once and for all! Even then, she was obsessed with being the hero of some delusional fantasy world!"

Pablo hopped forward. He bounced repeatedly over the edge, paying no mind to the rock crumbling just to scream. "Sounds like she wasn't the one who was loco from the start! It was you! You got a good enough look at everything here!"

Anne pulled him back, calling next. "Even the firmest cynic couldn't doubt it was an illusion once they saw it for themselves!"

"Yes! I saw it! I saw everything! She didn't! I was the one who saw this place for what it was!" Leichter raised his lever and the cannons readjusted towards their faces. He dared them to speak another syllable staring down the barrel of his cannon. "In all those years we got further and further apart, and it's because she wouldn't listen to reason! I'm the one who knew the truth! I joined the military and crawled through the ranks, so I could stomp out the clear threat!"

The ship jolted and the cannon jerked. It had been swatted by an unseen force and now pointed to space.

Everyone gasped. Master Eon was the assailant, hovering heads above his students a hand glowing blue to show magic had emboldened his hand.

"You are the one who is the threat here, sir! I will not allow you to harm my students or my school by all the power of my beard!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Leichter's cannon now pointed back in place. The man was a time bomb at the very end of its fuse. "You idiotic brats can't do a thing to stop me! I am the one who will defend humanity from this scourge! I amassed an army with my own two hands to snuff you out! I am the hero of mankind!"

"Stop."

"Huh?"

Cody was now directly facing the general, atop a reluctant Spyro's back. He glared at the man with steam from his nostrils and a snot full of fire ready to melt his hand at the slightest jolt. Cody was just as firm, level with apathy and eyes weary from staring at the man yet a stone firmness in his stare and grip.

"I can't listen to this anymore, the way you hurt her." The boy's tone was dead. "You let your friendship fall apart, you betrayed her, because you thought you were meant to follow this grand purpose?"

"I told you! She was the one who ruined everything!"

He shook his head. "I think I get it. No one knows what makes a Portal Master. Maybe it's something inside, or maybe something chooses them."

The boy hung his head and breathed. Gathering strength, he stared into the man's soul.

"That's it. Something chose her… and not you."

Leichter seethed. His face went crimson, teeth cracking. Finally he let out a berserk scream.

"DIIIIIEEEEEE!"

* * *

 **Done! This was one of the most anticipated chapters for me to write! I'm so glad I made it to this point, and I know a lot of you were waiting for this as well. After my last week, getting this out was a real pick-me-up!**

 **I mean, don't you just love the parts that tug at the heartstrings?**

 **Let's get to the nitty-gritty.**

 **First I thought it would have been funny to get Flynn back in there. Last we knew, he was still hovering around that isle in the Falling Forest. Even he would have gotten smart up in that point. Master Eon, on the other hand, might have learned by now that these kids can't handle everything that's thrown at them. They are still kids, after all.**

 **Cody and Spyro's big moment – this was important for both of them built up from the scene in Cody's room a few chapters back. Whereas there, they were acknowledging that they had loneliness in common, now they are actually doing something about it. Now they are saying 'you know what, I don't want this anymore.' I know Cody was still willing to get back up, but he wasn't given the true lesson he needed which was that he couldn't carry that sadness forever, or that guilt over what happened to his mother.**

 **It was the same for Spyro. I think now that's had a taste of being locked in a real cage, he realizes how good he's had it. He's always had Elf and Eruptor but at the beginning he thought of them as wardens to babysit him. He's never really had a chance to connect with anyone or someone who really got his problems. I don't want to say one had it worse than the other, because at the end the result was the same.**

 **And then there's Leichter.**

 **There is the opposite of Cody and Spyro's problem: having their things but needing friendship. He had a connection with Alice, Cody's mother, but chose his own ego. Everyone has that issue of wanting to believe their short time in this world means something and Leichter believed that was more important than supporting a friend when she discovered something amazing and found that special something. Leichter could have embraced that, but I think it was the matter of becoming a supporting character in someone else's story instead of being the hero in his own.**

 **I think this chapter did a good job in emphasizing the theme of the story. I'm proud. Now then, onto the reviews:**

 **stephanieeiche10** **: Yeah, the lords of TV are cruel to all of us. I kinda want to believe they could re-release it under a new title, like they do with Pokemon (Master Quest, Advance Battle, Ultra Legends etc). It's unlikely, but I can dream.**

 **Crazyloop8888** **: Yeah, I want to keep Cody's mother's role in the Skylands a secret until another installment. I know in the bios, Master Eon finds all the Skylanders and recruits them, but I think it would be more interesting if there were things even he didn't know. And yes, Leichter is the kind of guy who tries to give you a ride home from school and even offers candy, but your head just screams 'stranger danger!'**

 **As for Cody's dad, I didn't make him a big part of any of this. He was just a man from a family of police officers and servants of the law that disapproved of Alice's adventurous lifestyle. As far as he's concerned, he did love Alice and tries to love Cody, but he just can't help but feel the same as the relatives, that everything went down the pooper after Cody was born. It's formed a distance between him and his son that's worsened with time to the point he is neglectful towards Cody. But yeah, he didn't know about this.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: Cody is becoming brave – you know he is his mother's son. Leichter didn't really have a hand in her death, but as I explained, he still betrayed her out of bitterness and she never learned the truth. Or did she? Oh, and Happy Late Birthday!**

 **BookWriter94** **: I like to think I sprinkled the big truth throughout the story. I know there was the one chapter after the midpoint where it had become pretty obvious. Cody's mother told him stories, there was this figure from her past that knew so much about her, but she never mentioned him. And now we know he didn't have that Portal through honest inheritance.**

 **Things will be getting crazy in the next few chapters. See what happens. Also, play the track 'Sunset Bridge' from Persona 5 for my musical inspiration for Spyro and Cody's big bonding time.**

 **As always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	35. The Clash

Leichter's cry shook the clouds. The sky was soon dyed red with the blaze of cannon fire and explosions consuming the Academy in flame. Debris rained down burning, as though the building screamed in pain. The crowd of teachers and students scrambled to find shelter, narrowly avoiding a fiery demise at every turn.

The man slammed his fist on the console, angered further with every second the Skylanders lived on. "Take no prisoners! I want these skies clear of every freak and freak-house! Open fire!"

His armada of ships followed suit and fired the full of their ships' weapons. Flashes came and towers fell, plants, trees, and animals being caught in the crossfire and consumed in the flame. Teachers guarded the students as best they could with their own skills, only to fall by the wayside and be dragged off. Most of the student body was left hiding behind collapsed rubble, trembling as more shots were fired.

The Skylanders and kids stuck close shielding each other from the wrath of the man who'd wronged both races. Rubble caked their heads and their blood ran cold. Hex's familiar, Skull, dared to look out and cross sight with him.

"Okay, somebody know a good doctor? Or shrink?" He shouted. "Somebody here's gonna need one!"

Cody, sheltered under Spyro's wings and clenching his eyes, felt a hand roughly grab him. He was now staring into rows of teeth and the glare of an enraged Terrafin.

"Fool! Why'd you gotta tick him off like that!? You tryin to get us blasted to kingdom come!?"

"I-I wasn't-"

Spyro pulled him back wrapping his arm around him. Cody felt the strength seeping through desperately. "Maybe you should talk him down, T-Fin. You've got such a way with people."

"Uh, guys. I'd like to remind the student body of the armada of warships raining fiery heck down on us!" Stealth Elf, who had flashed up to the remains of the tower to get a lookout, returned back in a green puff of smoke. Her fixed stare had, for once, become frantic. "Anybody got a plan for dealing with that?"

"I can handle irate teachers, even Doom Raiders!" Eruptor cried crouching. "But I did not sign up for total armageddon!"

Eruptor's cry echoed the crowd of students huddled. All their confidence and ego thinking of the heroes they would become now torn with the weight their roles would bring. They were finally starting to understand what they were up against. Cody could only stare at their clenched teeth and claws digging into dirt with frustration. Powerlessness, foolishness, anger over the harsh slap to the face the world gave them.

The boy turned to Master Eon for that guidance himself. The old sage did nothing but frown. He stood as a blast came close to their hiding spot and raised his hands glowing. A forcefield formed and rippled with the roar of flame, burning until it vanished. All the man could do was protect them all; no words could change the situation.

Jason rose from near Jet-Vac, never settled for hiding. "Hey, we got this! We have our powers – it's an even playing field!"

Anne looked at him, voice and body wavering, keeping any dust off her and her glasses straight to feign calm. "Leichter knows our numbers and his warships have been specially equipped with armor and advanced weaponry! I doubt a few sparkles will make a dent!"

"I'm afraid Cadet Anne is correct," said Master Eon, who raised his palm to shield them with his barrier once more. "His weaponry is well beyond what we are equipped to deal with."

"So… option dos?" Pablo asked. By some miracle or lac of common sense, he was remaining perfectly excitable. His frizzy hair remained coated in dust and bruises, though. "We invite him to a party with food!? No one feels like declaring a prejudice-filled war on an entire world after they got a taste of my abuela's cooking!"

"How bout I give him a cannon-full of dragon fire?"

"Are you daft, lad!?" Jet-Vac screamed at Spyro. "That lunatic would kill you the moment the moment you came into his sights!"

That was true – no doubt Leichter had years to steel himself for this war of the worlds. He probably invested millions in time, sweat, money, and resources to craft the army, and no doubt he'd already given up things that mattered most. But the cannons had to have some weakness. There was no way Leichter could have the foresight to prepare for the Skylanders and their various abilities.

Cody stared past the edge, fixing his gaze honed through all their battles onto the ships. Through the smoke and dust, sweat running down his face, blinking back whatever tried to snap his focus away he looked to the ships for anything. Some sort of failing, some drawback to the weapons drawing in heat and light and shooting back.

Closely, something… anything!

"Cody?" Katelyn asked.

Spyro rebelled further. "Come on, I could get at least one shot in before he makes his move!"

"That's it!"

The entire Skylander student body looked back at Cody. The boy squealed and jumped back, never used to so much attention at once. HE stammered trying to catch his train of thought again.

"We're going to have a party!?" Pablo asked.

"Um, no." Cody leaned over the fallen column, shaking dust off his jacket. He ducked as another blast hit before looking out again. "The cannons have a period of time before they can fire again. It looks like they need to recharge between shots. We can use that chance to take them out."

"They all fire at roughly the same time," said Jason "We'd need to move fast."

Anne adjusted her glasses, still unconvinced. "They have smaller weapons to use in between larger shots. How do you propose we approach those?"

"The soldiers know the Skylanders have power. I don't think they know we do here as well."

"So we get in close, and you guys can cover us with your barriers." Spyro jumped in, playfully punching his shoulder. "They'll be too stunned to make any move long enough for us to take their ships out! Awesome!"

Master Eon faced them, all his students together. They were ready as they would ever be. "All right then. We have a plan of attack. I am proud of you all – show our foes that we stand together, no matter the threat!"

His eyes glowed and body went outlined in a glow, bright as day. A projection of his head came as large as the building. It cried in a bellowing rally.

"SKYLANDERS, UNITE!"

* * *

The roar of guns and cannons had seared at the daylight and now it had turned to afternoon. The sun set the once blue into a blaze of red and the only clouds left were from explosives. Somewhere in the hateful frenzy of fire, Leichter and his troops had settled down – the armada still hovered, power still contained in their warships. But it was only the calm before they would set what remained of the Academy into raining ruin.

It was knowing this that Cody felt his limbs stiffen like stone as he rode atop Spyro. The two settled before Leichter, no doubt having the same chill run down both of their spines. Still, neither refused to turn away from the hateful dictator, who morphed his face into a crazed grin.

"So, finally showing yourself, boy!?" He spoke as though he was an animal, starving for months and eying its first prey. "You should have stayed hidden!"

Cody gulped. "Hiding from the world wasn't going to solve anything! I see that now! This won't solve anything either!"

"Well, nice to see you've learned a life lesson, in the final moments of your life!"

"Are you really going to kill me, a child? You'd spite my mother that much?"

Leichter threw his head back, cackling. "This coming from the boy who thought he'd killed his own mother? You're as selfish as she is! Doing whatever you want, taking things that aren't yours, acting in spite of everything!"

"For real? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!"

Cody looked beneath to see Spyro had let loose his mouth with flames tinging his every word. In a sense, he felt lighter that Spyro would speak on his behalf and say everything Cody didn't. His best friend had more of a knack for talking back than he did. Though as Spyro spoke, the boy could tell it wasn't just for his sake.

"You stole her only way back here and everything she got while here! What if she found friends here, done things she never could have done on Earth? What if she was doing something important for someone else? Maybe people here needed her, and maybe she needed them!"

"Shut up, you disgusting creature! She couldn't gain anything here! It was all just a childish game!"

"Uh-huh, yeah, there you go again!" He spat and shrugged. "You took it away because you thought you knew what was best for her. Also because you wanted it too!"

"Maybe you could have gained something," Cody piped in again. "Just because my mom had that Portal didn't mean you couldn't have found something here."

"Shut up! The only thing I want of this place is its death!"

"Did you always feel this way?"

"Of course I did! This place is worth nothing to anyone!"

That settled it, then. He supposed in the heat of the moment, real feelings were left on the table.

"…Then you weren't her friend after all. Everyone, now!"

From every hole in the rubble and patch of dirt came the armada of Skylanders, taking wing and vehicle in an armada of hopeful youths. The military men gasped as their ranks swarmed, circling around the ships. Their teammates led the charge in powerful looking vehicles that spun and burned roads of air towards Leichter and all around him.

"What!?"

"Incoming!"

A helicopter almost made of leaves circled, with Stealth Elf dropping towards an airship. The pilot jumped back as she twirled midair with a ring of light coming from the sheen of her blades. The slicing of metal was heard and Elf vanished as the barrel of his main cannon was cut in a clean half, falling into the unknown. They all looked to see her hanging out the side back in the copter and winking as it flew away.

"Burn, baby, burn!"

Eruptor was next, riding a flying saucer with spikes burning with a heated glow. Pablo was rocking the ship back and forth as the lava creature fired balls of magma melting at the barrel of a second airship. The rocking clearly made Eruptor sick to the point he vomited a blast of lava over the barrel and melting what remained. The pilot there screamed as the pair hovered away.

Leichter pounded on his console, turning wildly to his troops. "What are you doing, you idiots!? Fire, fire, FIRE! KILL THEM ALL!"

The remaining troops scrambled in their seats, their ships tilting, but all did as told. Everything was lost in the blinding light of all the cannons firing together and a deafening boom filled their ears. All the Skylanders pooled together as the merged blast came close.

As the light cleared, a merged shield of numerous colors spiraled outward. The Portal Masters covered the entirety of the school in a push of force between their barrier and the blast. It burned at their hands, like their skin was on fire, and the force grew greater. Cody huffed, turning to the others, and faced the blast once more. Power swirled and blazed across the surface, pounding with all its might, weakening his hands. After an eternity, it dissipated.

The Portal Master were out of breath, some on their knees, gasping for air. Cody saw their hands actually bruised from holding back such a force. Whatever it was that counted towards saving them, he thanked the stars for it.

"Okay, that was a little close!" Jason huffed.

"You brutes!" Katelyn raised her head through disheveled hair through the window of the helicopter. "Don't think you can do as you like!"

"Sir! They have paranormal abilities! What do we do!?"

"Hawk and awe!"

Gale winds engulfed the ships, the turbulence knocking the pilots from their seats. Jet-Vac took aim from the deck of Flynn's airship, smoking and spluttering through panels in the hull, Cody stared worried. Still the captain had done well enough in steering the ship away from the men's line of fire. The remaining cannons could not hope to catch the speed of the primitive airship rowing through channels of air.

"You boys ought to get some tips from a real pilot!" Flynn peeked from behind the wheel. "Don't go hovering around!"

"You little-!" Leichter screamed.

It was over; they had won the day. His ships were falling by the wayside and there was no way they could counter quick enough. Cody sighed as his heart soared. He saved someone this time…. Or so he thought.

Leichter's screams were morphing into cackles, crazed laughter. Both his and Spyro's blood went cold.

"You think I wasn't expecting a trick like this!? Pull out the sub-cannons!"

The ships, returned to stability, began to whirr. Their cannons, both intact and broken, retreated into an open hatch and folded into themselves. In their place came the vengeful stares of two more cannons per airship, all half the size of their predecessors but just as deadly, if anyone cared to wager. All charging their first shots.

"Oh, boy!" Spyro cried.

"Here comes the next round of blasts!"

Their friends came from the corners of the skies with their shields ready. Charging on hopes and courage didn't count for enough speed though as the shots came before their shields merged. The Portal Masters and Skylanders, hands reaching out to one another, were consumed in blasts of ash and flame.

Everyone looked to another, tried to pull them in time. The blasts fired, shattering their shields and letting fire and energy pour over them. Cody saw his friends vanish in torrents just as he had reached for the hand of anyone. Like stars they all fell from the sky onto the remains of the Academy. The boy himself no longer felt Spyro beneath him as he crashed onto a pile of bricks, feeling something break. He cracked open his sights, hair caked to his skin and jacket and flesh burned and dusted.

Eon's voice was in the distance, Spyro's cry could be heard muffled from somewhere. But there was only his breath, and the blinding sheen of the next attack from the general above.

"Goodbye, brats!"

He saw golden destruction as his sight blurred. But then a tinge of blue, and the sky returned to its deep red.

"Wait, WHAT!?"

Eon's voice came, shining blue like the moon and burning with protective fury. He struck the ship as it came into focus with waves of magic slashing from his hand. "Don't think you can threaten my students and get away with it! Begone, interloper!"

Leichter gripped the controls and fired back, straining their joints with his force. "I did not come this far to be defeated by a school of freaks! This entire damned world is going to be rubble before I'm done!" Eon's shield just negated the blasts though he was now ground-level with them. "You all think you're big heroes trying to fix everything, but I see you for the foul disease on humanity you are! You've infected Alice and those kids, and I am going to be the one to save Earth from you!"

"No!" Cody rasped out with choked breath.

"This is the end!"

"I don't think so!"

* * *

He came as a twisted repeat of Eon's head projection, a ghastly blue head with empty eyes, cackling across the land. IT faded, leaving the speck of a sorcerer with his head crest still shining brightly and an ominous glow emitting from his spell book. His robe fluttered in the air like a shadowy specter haling someone's end.

As ominous as he looked, the Skylanders still recognized who he was. At least in some form.

"Kaos!?"

The realized dark wizard descended to Leichter's level, dragging along a stair of currents as if mocking him. The general saw the undertone in which Kaos approached and gave him a smirk with his fangs glinting. It flushed his face with red.

"Who are you? Another infected punk?" He seethed with hands on the controls.

"When you're a guest in someone's domain, you should show the proper courtesy!" Kaos waved his hand, sending pages on the book with it. His finger landed upon a single page as he stared. "I don't care for your assumptions that you can simply destroy the Skylanders and do as you please! After all, that's what I'm here for!"

"No gritty monkey-faced brat is going to give orders to me! Eat cannon fire!"

Kaos raised his hand toward the ship's weapons in defiance. The metal behemoth swallowed its own fire and the taste of some magic poison as his power wrapped around the barrels. Holes outlined in violet opened, corroding the metal away, burning and disintegrating. This was the power he craved, to annihilate anything with the wave of a hand.

To think his mother attempted to take this power away from him. She dared to bark orders back when she no longer had it in her grasp, thinking her status as the dark sorceress of legend and nightmares something to fall back upon. He'd stripped her of it all the moment he snatched it away. Once one opened the cover of the tome they unlocked a gate to power and insight beyond anything in this realm to the powerless. It was why his mother wanted it, why the Golden Queen wanted it.

But it was his, now.

The first signs of dusk fell as he rose to the apex of the clouds. They swirled ominously around him as his voice boomed like thunder. "Hear me well! I am Kaaaoooossss! Supreme evil overlord of the darkness and destroyer of the Skylands! This is the power that will grant me that destiny!"

"What the-" Spyro gasped.

Master Eon rushed from below. "That book! No! How did he-"

Kaos flicked his hands again as if to tear open the sky, and sure enough, he did. From behind Leichter's armada, a giant vortex of black and violet appeared outlined by the haze collecting around him. Clouds, rubble, light itself, all were sucked in by the pull and disappeared into the inky void.

Sweat ran down Leichter's face as he was transfixed by the opening. "W-What is that thing!?"

Flashes came along the swirls of magic and show in the vortex, giving rise to a great beat. Its contents it had absorbed all mixed together into a monstrosity of a beast. Three times the size of the Academy, its black body almost phased in and out of reality born from darkness itself as its wingbeats still carried strength to knock away the still-standing pillars. Serpentine necks formed from the elements: flame, water, stone, metal, and bone, vibrated and huffed steam from their maws.

It raked its claws along the rim of the portal, raising its heads along the ships sending them spiraling out of control. They roared pounding a gravitic fear down and pressing its master's foes into the dirt. A creature befitting the power he rightfully acquired – a hydra.

"Five heads, and they all look pretty hungry!" Eruptor shouted.

"Now my pet, chow down!"

"No, no!"

The hydra's heads all extended to the first ship in sight. It made chew-toys of the humans' machines that tried to flee, slicing through their hulls in a single clamp per head. They exploded in the grip of their jaws with their pilots lost in the destruction. What remained of any bodies fell lost.

Kaos cackled and pointed to the one ship still standing.

"I think you need some time away, like in an alternate dimension bordering on non-existence!" His hand glowed again and a violet bolt emerged. It razed along the surface of the ship casting explosions in its wake. The general was blown out of his cockpit into the air, captured by the snare of the Portal beneath his hydra's form. He screamed babbling and clawing his way back in futility towards his ship.

"Hope you enjoy your stay!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

.

.

"… What did he do?"

Stealth Elf's question lingered as the field of battle went silent. Leichter had been dragged crying his last curses to an unfair world and prayers for his own life. He disappeared into a dense darkness along with his army, probably never to be seen again.

Kaos only stretched out his fingers, thinking nothing of the fact he'd doomed a human. It was a major win, being able to do away with his irritations so easily.

"Here I was hoping I could get rid of you the same way, but you Sky-dweebs are more persistent than cockroaches!" The grin on his face looped around in tone, going from casual to feral, to giddy with a sadistic razor edge. "No matter, my preparations are nearly complete."

"Preparations?" Cody asked.

Spyro launched towards the dark mage, leveling with him in the air. "Okay, time to fess up, mega melon! Just what have you been up to!?"

"Come back to 'my' castle and you'll find out soon enough! HAHAHAHAH!"

He phased into shadow and blew away. As the sky turned to black and the evening came, so to did an unsettling pall over the Skylanders. They had no idea what was coming for them.

* * *

 **I consider this one the penultimate climax. In all the drama with Leichter, I thought I'd provide a little reminder that Kaos is still a major baddie here.**

 **Thanks as always for your patience and I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend. I don't know how well this one came out – frankly I think this one was a little too broad in terms of prose. Might be something to fix when I go back and edit the story, if I ever come to that.**

 **For those wondering about the hydra, I thought that would be a cool feature to add since Kaos had a hydra that players faced as the final boss in the first Skylanders game. As for one other thing a couple of fans addressed in that Spyro got his powers back even after having his element sucked from him, the implications of that will be explained around the next couple of chapters. Keep in mind, Spyro is 'special.'**

 **Anyway, onto reviews:**

 **Crazyloop8888** **: Yeah, the thing with antagonists is that they always represent a flip side of the lesson being learned. They are the heroes of their own story and they go through their own trials, but ultimately the problem is that the develop unhealthy behaviors and their beliefs are taken too far. Spyro, in all likelihood, perhaps could have become another Leichter if he had set off on his own if he continued to believe he was better than everyone else. Cody, being the first to consider his circumstances due to being in similar ones, was able to change that. It was ultimately what allowed Spyro to be honest, because he knew he was speaking to someone who wouldn't judge him if he was vulnerable.**

 **Scrappy Doo Fan** **: Glad to have you back. Leichter wasn't punched, but hopefully being sucked into another dimension works for you.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: I wish I was 21 again – lots of promise. And keep your fingers crossed for that; I am never one to spoil.**

 **Bookwriter94** **: The heartwarming part was a lot of fun to write – I've seen a few times in the show that Spyro has a compassionate, caring side in addition to his usual cocky bravery. And for Leichter, ask and you shall receive.**

 **GameHero95** **: Welcome! Always nice to see a new reviewer, and I'm glad you like the story so far. As I mentioned, the thing with Spyro and his element of magic being stolen will be address around the final battle. Also, Kaos and Leichter's endgame were pretty obvious by now. Kaos has always wanted to conquer the Skylands while Leichter has simply wanted to destroy them out of his own jealousy that they didn't choose him. He never understood how that worked, or the most important thing: that it wasn't that big of a deal. It wouldn't have stopped him from helping. Glad you're also having fun with Ring of Heroes – it's a fun game!**

 **That about wraps it up for this chapter. Next chapter comes the first half of the final battle! Be sure to check it out! As always, review, favorite, follow!**

 **Until next time!**


	36. Final Exam

"Absolutely not!"

The sage's shouts nearly cause what remained of their esteemed Academy to crumble into dust. Dusk had fallen, and the staff and students had gathered into the library, one of the few rooms that remained intact at the end of the battle. Even then, windows were shattered, books were sprawled across the floor dirtied and burnt, and low candleflames set the solemn mood for all the Skylanders gazing intensely at their headmaster.

In the span of an evening, a runt of a villain had become the greatest threat to their home in the skies. Many students were in disbelief and quickly shifting to panic as the day's result. Eon had proposed an elite team to travel to Kaos's lair and deal with him immediately, and that was were feet were being put down.

"Are you kidding? Why shouldn't we go?" Jason squeezed through the crowd and slammed his fist on the old master's desk. "If that Kaos kid is that tough now, you're gonna need all hands on deck!"

"We're talkin' about Kaos here! Even sheep make mutton out of him!" Eruptor shouted.

Hugo could be heard screaming in the background. "Sheep!? No sheep! I've had enough trauma for one day!"

"I appreciate your valor, everyone, but this is a matter well beyond your capabilities at this moment. You have shown remarkable aptitude to this point but do not forget that you are still only cadets."

He laid that last word down like a hammer. The students held their heads in shame made to feel weak.

Elf raised her head against the weight of her teachers' stares. "You can't honestly expect us to simply sit here and do nothing."

"Yes, we can."

The door flung open, almost breaking from its hinges. A large. Burly shape came clanging slowly down the steps and toward the gathered crowd. His armor gleamed in the candlelight while his down of feather remained frozen to his body like a second coat of metal. His gaze turned unwavering to them all as his face emerged from the shadows.

"Sensei King Pen!" Jet-Vac gawked. "All cadets, salute."

All members did so, save for a select few. Spyro's claw wavered at his side, not knowing what role the big old bird was meant to play this time. King Pen was this last chance of Eon's to mold him into a proper Skylander; maybe now he was a savior for everyone?

Pop-Fizz showed similar lack of discipline, marching up to the penguin instead. "Either the artic got a lot more ruin-y, or King Pen is out of his territory. So, our fine-feathered friend, what brings you to this utterly destroyed neck of the woods? Just so you know, this wasn't my doing… this time."

"Master Eon contacted me beforehand regarding the situation with Kaos. The other Senseis will be arriving shortly."

"Other Senseis?" Katelyn asked. "Wait, just who are you?"

"Ah, yes. I believe this is our first time meeting, children." He bowed before them, impressive considering his heavy suit and gauntlets. "I am King Pen, one of the many Skylander Senseis who help to protect the realm and guide new Skylanders along the path to greatness."

"King Pen is an old colleague of mine and stands along the mightiest the Skylanders have to offer." Master Eon rose to stand by his comrade. "You understand, surely, that my need to summon them all speaks of the threat we now face."

"At the very least, I am glad Eon's experiment worked and you have formed true partnerships. The Senseis expressed doubts as to what would come of the appearance of Portal Masters, and you in particular, Spyro."

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the vote of confidence." That smile did nothing for him.

Spyro huffed; easy to admit that whole 'lifelong confidence' bit when the result turned out peachy keen. He'd all but admitted that they were nervous about whether he'd spend who knows how long stuck on a glacier practicing squats, too. Still, it was nice to be someone being a little more up front for a change.

Stealth Elf almost charged towards the two teachers, not bowing to the gap in experience for once. "With all due respect, sirs, the fact that you're summoning the best warriors you have is exactly the reason we should go. Kaos is still only one Portal Master. We have five, plus an army of heroes ready to take the fight to him."

"Stealth Elf is right." Pablo's voice cried from somewhere in the crowd like a rogue firecracker. "Let's serve that bandito up a steaming hot plate of justice! With a side of guacamole!"

All the students cheered in turn. They were tenacious, even if they weren't the best at their studies.

Eon's sigh only put a damper on their fiery spirits, though. "You would have me send untrained cadets into battle? Kaos, admittedly, has shown little cause for worry in the past but things are different, now. It was already an error on my part that it was even allowed to come to this." Eon was looking straight at Spyro now, even bending down to hold him by the shoulders as if to ground him there himself. "Please, for your own safety, remain here."

"Listen to Master Eon. You should have the chance to cultivate the bonds you all have formed."

The damper turned into a downpour as the student body went silent. Eon was always the one who inspired them to do great things, assured them they were on the highway to legend, Spyro especially. What did it mean to any of them when he was the one saying they couldn't handle an enemy? For the dragon it just made every scale on his body rattle and twitch, almost flaring from their seats.

Was he really going to take this from anyone? Even the man who raised him from an egg?

"No."

"Spyro, please."

"No, just listen." Spyro flew up to his face, so close an ember would have set the sage's face aflame. "I'm gonna put a reverse spin on that truth ball and say yeah, we're cadets. But we still took down the worst the Skylands had to offer." He turned to Cody, still wavering between confidence and doubt in place. "That was because… we had each other, and we stuck together."

Cody stood by his side, and Spyro could safely say he had never felt stronger in that moment. He took a breath, as the dragon took his hand in claw.

"Master Eon, no matter how many times I tried to run away or deny it, you were the one who kept saying Spyro and I had something special together. We all did." All their teammates banded by their sides. "This might as well be our time to prove it."

"Yeah, what he said!" Pop Fizz cheered.

"I must wholeheartedly agree." Anne smirked with a touch of her glasses.

"Alright!" Spyro looped in the air. "Team Spyro for the win!"

The fanfare went cold again. The dragon wanted to say it was just a breeze from the outside, but the faces of the team said otherwise.

"Excuse me?" Katelyn blinked, looking none too appreciative.

"Yeah, I am not gonna go around with that team name on my shoulder." Stealth Elf chided.

"You have to admit, sir. They make quite the team." Jet-Vac spoke in defense. Spyro was almost floored from that alone, though he'd be sure to get a cross glare from the bird-man if he said so. "Now, far be it from me to stand against regulation, but…"

Master Eon shared a look with King Pen, who only shook his head. Something about the power of youth and how it appealed to old men to be sure. Eon gave a longer sigh than anticipated, but Spyro knew the old man enough to know what that meant.

A smile formed in between the hairs of his beard. "…Very well. We shall end this battle together."

Cody returned his smile. "Thank you, sir."

Hugo hopped from his hiding place. "I believe this is the perfect moment for the call, sir."

"True enough, Hugo. Skylanders, UNITE!"

* * *

They warped onto the panel set just before the domain of the Dark Portal Masters. Each held their breath and swallowed their nerves down stepping onto foreign soil. Though it was like the moment they did, some imaginary curtain was drawn back to the landscape in full.

"Does anyone else feel as though… something's different here?" Anne spoke the group's thoughts.

Their formation was broken wandering around the barren soil now dotted with rubble and broken trees. Just like their own Academy, this place was now a half-ruin bathed in a cold violet light as opposed to the warmer tone they all remembered when last they came. The fog was thick as fabric and clouds now swirled around the tower's peak with flashes of lightning. It was as though they entered a vision of the end of the world.

"Kaos more than likely took this place over after his mother was defeated." Master Eon stepped towards the edge without a flinch at the foreboding castle. "We are in his domain now."

Those words were what permeated the air as they ran across the bridge and up the broken stairway into the main castle. The doors flung open into a pitch-black hallway that was lit step-by-step with blue-violet flames. An alien sense of dread was filling them all as their steps were more stiff and slow than they'd wanted them to be. Was it really Kaos that was making them feel this way?

Jet-Vac balked. "Kaossandra is the most powerful Dark Portal Master in the Skylands, and Kaos is, well-"

"A wimp," joked Spyro.

"A loser." Eruptor followed.

"A butt of constant mocking jokes in heroic humor." Pop Fizz added.

"I was going to say a vicious delinquent obsessed with delusions of grandeur, but yes." That was really best summed up as all of the above, but that was beside the point. "How could he have obtained this much power?"

"…Through all of you." Master Eon spoke solemnly.

"What?" Cody gasped. "How is that possible?"

"The Spellbook he possesses." Eon waved his hand and a projection of the tome made from his magic hovered before them all. "There is an ominous force contained inside, one that hungers for power and to destroy the Core of Light."

Kaos was holding some sort of strange book, the last time Spyro saw him. Though he'd just assumed that meant old melon-noggin had finally gotten an instruction manual on how to be a better villain. In a sense, that might have been true; he had ignored it at the time, but there was something off about the Dark Portal Master. Something that made him formidable to the point he'd begun to sweat at the thought of squaring off against him.

"It satiates that hunger through the elements. When you defeated the Doom Raiders, Kaos took their elemental powers and used them to empower the force inside that tome."

Wait, was that what happened? He'd felt drained at some point. Sweat was starting to go down the dragon's scales all over again. Master Eon might not have made the wisest decision in calling King Pen to hold off the arrival of the other Senseis until they knew what they were dealing with.

The dragon shook his head not to show those thoughts and flew to his mentor's side. "Wait, so you're saying we did Kaos a solid bringing down all those baddies? That he… played us? That is kind of painful, Eon."

"Never as painful as being at his beck and call just to hear him brag about it."

Almost under spotlight, a troll appeared from the top of the steps. He near dragged his massive, wart filled feet and disheveled shoulders down to the ground floor. Seeing them all, he gave a sigh like he would have paid to be anywhere else.

"Wait, aren't you Glumshanks?" Elf asked. "Kaos's troll servant?"

"I assure you madame, my resume includes much more than demeaning lackey work." The troll cleared his throat and unrolled a scroll that clanked onto the tile. The troll spoke in as great of a fanfare someone who spent his life waiting hand and foot on Kaos could give, not that that said much. "But I'm here to serve as the host: welcome to the lair of Kaos the Unbelievable Awesome, Wicked, and Magnificient. Welcome to your doom."

"Three guesses who wrote this speech," Spyro muttered.

"Before you have the privilege of meeting your final and excruciatingly painful demise at the hands of the Great One, you must first face a test of your abilities. Enter the Hydra!"

The wall above the entryway where Glumshanks appeared shattered casting the room into shadowy gloom. From the dust and darkness came five pairs of crimson eyes glaring and glowing with bloodlust as they shifted over and along one another. Their growls filled the air with an electric tension. All at once the heads came to life and roared, shaking the room and forming cracks in the walls and ceiling.

"Oh, great! It had to be a hydra!" Eruptor yelled. "Why can't bad guys ever send kittens after you? Everybody likes kittens!"

Glumshanks quickly rolled up the scroll and backed towards the staircase again. "Be sure to handle this quickly. Believe it or not, this thing drools."

Drool wasn't nearly as deadly as the streams of fire and water shot by its left two heads which the team just narrowly escaped. Rows of melted and eroded stone were left in the wake of its blast. The other two heads snapped at Pop and Jet-Vac and their partners, before the undead head released a corrosive fog that made the columns wither.

The creature solely focused on hunting its prey as they only dodged by a hair or scale. It didn't care if its own master's palace was broken in the process, and even now the foundation was starting to crumble. Just as Cody had blocked another blast of spiraling flame, a piece of debris cracked and fell on him. Spyro was just able to push his friend out of the way before he'd have been squashed like a cockroach, with pebbles digging into his scales as they rolled aside.

Soon enough it seemed the monster had gone from a mindset of destroying his enemies to destroying everything in existence. Like a cat frustrated with mice slinking into their mouseholes, it started blasting streams at the walls and ceilings, happy to let the building crush them if it couldn't. The Portal Masters raised their shields and charged with the Skylanders as they struck with blades, blasters, and bursts of flame on its hide.

The hydra only roared and merged its blasts to shatter the wall behind them. Their backs were left to open air, but there was still no escape.

Jason raised his barrier with Jet-Vac behind him, rotating to fire back. "Whatever Kaos is up to, we're never going to stop him in time if we're all stuck dealing with this thing!"

Master Eon let loose a fierce white blast of magic. "Agreed. Spyro, Cody! We leave it to you. You must go and stop Kaos while we deal with this monstrosity."

Spyro blinked as he was hauling Cody across the room to the other end. "No way, we're not leaving you guys behind. If this thing's anything like a real dragon, you guys are in for the fight of your lives!"

"So let us have some fun!" Eruptor shouted.

"Let's just call it a final exam. We are cadets, right?" Stealth Elf twirled her blades after popping in from another attack.

"Finally! I get to blow up something on purpose." Pop was bouncing like a jumping bean.

Cody shook his head. "It's too dangerous. Let's all fight it, together."

A golden shield blocked the attack aimed for them this time, from Anne's hands. "This is the most logical choice, Cody. Even if we engaged this creature together, it would still waste time we likely don't have. You must stop Kaos quickly."

"But…"

Spyro could usually be counted on to give the cocky reassurance here, but he wasn't so sure at this point. Dare he even thought it, but it scared him just what might await past that hall of black beneath the hydra guard. He'd been proven wrong more than enough times over the course of this semester not to go poking at bad guys on your own. With all the power Kaos had supposedly gained, a puff of flame and a magic shield might not be enough.

Cody clearly felt the same, if not more so. He wasn't cut out for this like a Skylander who trained his whole life was. It made his wings feel heavy that he was being such a wimp on both their ends. What kind of partner couldn't give a partner proper backup.

"Cody. Spyro." Katelyn came speaking to the rescue. "We all believe in you."

Cody looked to him. "What do you think?"

Spyro inhaled, and let that fire burn. He talked a big game this whole time; it was now time to prove it.

"I think… we should show 'em what we got."

Final exam… hope they could make the grade, Spyro thought. The two ran past the hydra into the hall, Ancients knew what was waiting.

* * *

 **I'll cut the author's note short this time. Here we are, final battle, the beginning of the end. To everyone who stuck around thus far, thanks for your support. Onto the reviews:**

 **ScrappyDooFan** **: I aim to please with bad guys getting with what they deserve.**

 **GameHero95** **: Glad you liked the addition. Kaos was definitely a much more formidable villain in the games, while the TV show provided different portrayals of characters for various reasons. The book is corrupting Kaos, but I would say it's because his lust for power makes him easily manipulated, and not due to any special power of the book.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: The hydra was crafted from the Spellbook, and each hydra head was composed of the elements that Kaos had stolen from the Doom Raiders, with the Life Element to, well, bring it to life. I will see about maybe drawing the hydra, but think of it as a lankier version of the 'Five-Headed Dragon' or 'F.G.D.' from Yu-Gi-Oh.**

 **Bookwriter94** **: It was always going to come down to the Skylanders and Kaos. No way Leichter would finish them off before Kaos could. Thanks as always for your comments!**

 **That wraps up another one. As always, review, favorite, follow! Until next time! Have a great Father's Day!**


	37. A Bond

Their friends were now just a speak of light they were leaving behind. The two were now rushing headlong into a tunnel dimming in shadow.

The path ahead was faded even with torchlights along the walls, though his lack of breath didn't help. Cody's sight, dimming, best locked on to the sheen of his friend's horns as they dashed further down. The boy gulped and reserved his breath, saving what precious little strength he would need for the final battle. Kaos, who had gone from a boastful boy to a devil with power oozing from his hand, it seemed so unbelievable.

That was what many Skylanders believed – that Kaos would be a threat to their way of life the day Eon would shave his beard. In truth, the evil wizard had been out of his head for some time in the midst of the other threats and emotional turmoil. The idea of Kaos and just what made his desire for world destruction tick was an endless mechanism of confusion.

…Though what was really confusing was what seemed to be their lack of any progress.

Spyro clearly felt the same as he roared out a spell of flame in frustration. "Okay, either this is the longest hallway I've ever seen or someone's pulling a fast one."

Cody grasped his knees wobbling, speaking without air. Years of being a shut-in had done precious little to nothing for his physical health. "T-The castle wasn't that big from the outside, was it?"

"I can take a guess. For some reason, dragons have a sixth sense like an encyclopedia when it comes to castles." Spyro spun around, licking his lips and musing. "Uh, nope. Not that big."

"That's not really how… sixth senses work."

"Wait a sec. It's the same down this way, and that way." He spired several more times pointing in all directions. "No matter which way you turn it's all just endless hallways!"

"How can that be?"

Cody turned in all the same ways, but the scene held true. Every end was the same archway and twin torches of violet flame on repeat. Even the light from the last entryway was barely visible, while the floors just reflected more of the same. It was just a space of infinite hallways without end. There was a sense in the air, a feeling like his insides were twisting and turning all around and flipping back and forth as if the world was a giant rubix cube being rearranged.

If so, they were very well trapped. Kaos's cackling was almost ringing inside the air as he watched them scurry around like rats in a maze. But as if chiding him for the thought, Cody felt the Portal in his coat pocket vibrate. He grasped it and watched the light pulse from its core.

"Wait, you know about castles? Do you think you can navigate them from the inside?"

"It's more of an outside sort of thing. But hey, I might just rock at it!" He blinked out of his own thoughts. "What are you getting at?"

"Kaos is here… I can feel it. But he's distant as well." Just saying the words chilled him, the thought of being his plaything. He wondered if it was fear or pride. "It's almost like he's everywhere and nowhere at the same time."

"Because that makes an airship-load of sense…"

"If I focus while you direct us, I think I can warp us to his direct location."

"Hold on. The Portal of Power is meant to warp between worlds. Don't you need a… a normal-size Portal to warp around here?"

"We won't know unless we try." He shocked himself with how sure he sounded.

Spyro only nodded and latched onto his back as his wings. Cody shut his eyes, seeing the dim glow of the Portal through his lids. From there came the rush of wind and humming as everything began… shifting. The ground under his feet, his sense of left and right, everything swirled around like batter in a mixer and sped at breakneck speeds. The boy wavered, but Spyro kept him right, the dragon's claws being his only grip left on reality.

The stones and torches of the hallway were colorless blurs, making his own stomach churn with the rush. His free hand gripped onto the Portal forcing it directly into its view. Focus on the warm feeling, focus on his mother's spirit, somewhere in the tiny stone, like holding his hand when he was lost. Calm reigned and he took a single step.

The boy opened his eyes once more.

Light filled his sight, before it was replaced by complete shadow. A space like the night sky but absent of stars, blots of empty space pulsing along a black void. It was like some child's painting come to life, with tension as though he had splattered paint onto the canvas. They stood upon some giant slab of rock floating in the cosmos, debris hanging in midair. Honestly, it was a little scary with the space nearly groaning.

Spyro leapt to his side. "Okay, did that work or did we break reality or something?"

A shot of evil power came towards them. Cody raised his shield and blocked the strike in a puff of noxious smoke.

"So, little boys. We meet again… at last."

The two looked up, and there was Kaos, arms folded behind him, levitating above the two with a sneer. "Welcome to the realm of my design! Welcome to the final battleground! Welcome… to your DOOOOMMM!"

"That was both long-winded and nonsensical. You're breakin' barriers, Mega-Melon."

"I have become the most powerful Dark Portal Master in the entire universe, yet still you have the gall to mock me!?

You Sky-dweebs are all too cocky for your own good!"

Spyro flew up to eye-level with the evil Portal Master. "First of all, you didn't have much competition, so stretching it a bit. Second, you're only powerful 'cause you've been slurpin' up power from other villains. Not to mention me!"

"Yes… curious you still have your powers after I drained you." Kaos mused. "The only way you could still be capable of even flapping around like that was if something else was there."

"Something else?"

As Master Eon had explained it, Kaos could steal the elemental power out of any being in the Skylands with his mother's Spellbook. Spyro's scales were lacking in color and sheen when he'd first seen him again on Earth in Leichter's lab of horrors, but it had gotten better after. He didn't want to question anything good happening anymore, just accept that it was there and know there were better times ahead.

Now Cody couldn't help but think how strange it was. What if it was important, he thought with a growing hole in his stomach once more.

"Whatever it is, my book seems to want it." Kaos slid the book from his robes and coddled its cover against his face, blushing. "You're a good little book, aren't you? Yes, you are! Yes, you are!"

"Uh…"

"What my book wants, I want. And what I want, I take!"

Kaos surged forward, dark magic crackling in his hands. The dragon bolted back as the dark Portal Master was before his face in an instant. He fired a blast to which Spyro countered with a breath of flame. Bright embers clashed with shadowy waves, setting into a burst that blew the two of them back.

Spyro emerged from the smoke flying, Kaos launching blast upon blast to shoot him down. Spyro gave him a taste of his own medicine by charging forward. Just as he reached flaming room of Kaos, the dark Portal Master raised his hand, a surging blob of dark magic pooling into his hands with energy that gave the sound of shrieks. It crashed down onto the dragons head and sent fissures into the ground…

…Only for a glimmer of violet to appear. Spyro stood braced as Cody's form emerged, hands raised in protection with his shield in full effect. It rippled, and cracks appeared along its surface as the boy's arms withered and fingers twitched, but otherwise, it endured even Kaos's enhanced blast.

"Well, well, you're finally making a move." Kaos cackled. "For a minute, I thought the dragon just brought along a stuffed toy."

Cody lowered his shield. "Why are you doing this? Destroying an entire world is just insane!"

"Oh, so he speaks, too! Your stuffed toy can do all kinds of tricks, can it?" Spyro snarled at the insult from behind the boy, literally having his back. "Why shouldn't I want to destroy this place? Everyone has the nerve to mock me, so I will conquer them!"

"So you're just mad at everyone?"

"Of course I'm mad! The Doom Raiders and the Golden Queen just wanted to use me! My own mother kept me under her own thumb! To say nothing of all those stupid Skylanders!" Cody could see how that would spark anger in anyone, being made a ragdoll or punching bag for the world. Still… "I'll make an example of them all for anyone who questions my power!"

"But it's not your power! It was stolen from others, like Spyro said. How does this prove anything?"

Kaos stomped in place like a toddler throwing a tantrum. "It's mine, it's all mine! I did this, me! I am the one who brought the Doom Raiders to their demise and took their powers!"

He shot another blast at the pair. Cody barely raised in shield in time as the explosion raked the magical surface.

"I am the one who banished you to Earth!"

Spyro gritted his teeth as another blast came. Cody looked to his friend and thought of the turmoil that came as result of that poor choice. He'd been put through enough grief.

"I am the one who eliminated my own mother to take power!"

Cody gasped. The largest blast of all cast them into a veil of smoke.

The explosion and Kaos's words rang volumes in his ears. Years passed when Cody could swear he saw the blood of his mother on his hands and wondered if Kaos could see the same thing. Words so cruel warped his vision in that way that he blamed himself for a crime he wasn't guilty of, as those who loved him would tell him. An accident or power, did anything really justify such a thing? The boy knew the answer, and yet he still had to ask…

"… You're honestly proud of that?" His face hid behind his arms.

"Are you scared, boy?"

Cody waved his hand and Spyro beat his wings. Those simple actions pushed the smoke away as both stood rigid, eyes alight with flames in glares. Even the evil Portal Master with all his 'power' gulped and took a few steps back.

"You just crossed a major line, Kaos." Spyro spoke. "Brag all you want over your delusions."

"…That doesn't make what you've done right." Cody finished.

Kaos twitched, his shock melting into an uncontrollable anger. "You can take your high and mighty attitudes and get blown to smithereens!"

* * *

"I'm starting to think the whole 'splitting up in the name of heroism' was a bad idea. And I've suggested blowing up buildings for school projects!" Pop Fizz shrieked from behind the remains of a column.

"No wimping out now, blue boy! We got this!" Master Eon heard Cadet Jason from behind another.

It was all just frisbee tosses of confidence and doubt from one person to the next as they all scurried trading places between hiding spots. The hydra still roared its bloodthirst and fired its streams of stolen elements. Bit by bit, the palace of evil had been crumbling to rubble, and not in the way the old wizard had envisioned. He leapt out of the way of a head snaking around and chomping at the end hairs of his beard, blocking it with a barrier.

Anne's voice came from his left. "What have we 'got', pray tell!? This beast is too powerful – it could breathe on us and we'd be knocked flat!"

"Cadet Anne has a point." He joined her and Pablo in raising barriers just blocking a stream of fire and water, pushing them back by feet. "Most creatures in the Skylands are only composed of one element from which to draw power. This thing's made up of six!"

"Sounds like an element pizza pie gone wrong! I say we fix it up right!" Cadet Pablo yelled. "Now I'm hungry!"

Eruptor grabbed his partner in between his stubs and rolled out of the way of the water head swallowing him whole. His body left melted stone in its wake.

"Yeah, so's that thing! So stop goofin' off and making yourself an easy meal ticket!"

"Wait, could we do that?"

Katelyn spoke after vaulting off of a barrier and guarding with another. She walked away with only the slightest of burns on her dress and her face was caked in soot. At any other moment she would have paid it mind, but clearly there was a fire that went beyond appearance to the sage.

"What, make ourselves hydra-chow? Not the best of plans, don't you think?" Eruptor asked shouting.

"No, I mean, we could merge our elements into one and fire back at that thing. One big blast of elemental power ought to finish it off!"

"A valiant idea, Cadet Katelyn. Though our powers are varied in level and intensity." Eon stroked his beard feeling the tension in every fiber. "Converging elemental properties such as the way you are proposing might take concentration and time we do not possess."

"In other words, we just have to blast it with everything we've got, right?" Cadet Jason's response took the old man back.

"There were a lot of words with what Master Eon said there, but I'm pretty sure it ain't that simple." Eruptor argued again.

"It's all we have, though, isn't it!?" Katelyn cried to all of them. The hydra reared all its heads for its next strike. The children all pooled their barriers together into a gem-like shield of rainbow radiance. "We understand each other now, don't we!? We're a team now, aren't we!? Shouldn't we be able to accomplish this?"

Master Eon stood there dumbfounded at the backs of the children risking their own lives. There was something wondrous and criminal in the way that children grew, seeing the world for what it was and robbing them of innocence. That was how heroes were built, he had always believed. Watching them, their clothes and skin burning into tatters, their grunts and struggles echoing the room, there was nothing he could say.

The ring of blades by his side snapped him out. Stealth Elf looked at the same sight he did, as did all the Skylanders. Or perhaps they were looking ahead, as though they were standing with their young partners.

"Master Eon, you're always telling us to unite." The ninja elf spoke solemnly, never turning to him. "That's because we're stronger together as a team. That's how we win, together."

So it was that simple. It had nothing to do with age or power. The old man smiled.

"Very well. As one, all of you."

The cadets and teachers, humans and Skylanders all charged as one towards the beast with spells and blades in hand. Some charged of courage, some with excitement, and others just went with the flow. It was a chaotic mix of youthful fervor the man could not look away from.

"OH, MAAAGGGMAAAAA!"

"This is not going to be good for my feathers!"

"I can't see! I can't see!"

"Just focus, you lunatic!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

Spyro skimmed along the dead space like it was water, adding a flair of grace as he dodged Kaos's attacks with Cody's weight on him as handicap. He wouldn't admit it was a tough job, but those dark matter blasts were getting close to his tail tip – he could feel a jolt of sharp hotness near the end. The dragon did had to swerve a bit to make it more challenging.

He was, admittedly a little out of breath too. Cody's massage on his neck was a good breather, but he didn't want his partner to think he was getting swamped. Because he wasn't.

"This is tough to admit, but maybe you weren't blowing hot air!" He called more out-of-breath than anticipated.

"See! See!?" He pointed at himself wildly for self-gratification. "This is my power! Mine, not anyone else's! I'm going to crush you!"

"I'm not afraid of you! I won't let myself be afraid!" Cody blocked another blow with just a forearm. He was getting good with those shields. "You'd do such horrible things to your own family for yourself! It's not right!"

"Who cares about what's right or wrong!? Fair or unfair! All that matters in this world is that you have power!"

"…You don't mean that."

Kaos twitched at that – villains never like being told they were wrong, after all. But what the evil Portal Master did was something not even Spyro expected. After all, it was impressive, and impressive wasn't a word anyone thought of when describing Kaos.

He waved his hands and his own shadow lengthened from his feet, which was strange enough since he was airborne. The shadow burned and gained gleaming red eyes and morphed actual features like Kaos himself, along with the marking on his forehead glowing an almost demonic red. Its outline was engulfed in blackened flames and dark magic pooled into its hands like oil from a machine, surging and echoing a sound like wails.

Both real and projection fired their orbs, merging into the size of a meteor. Spyro breathed his hottest flames and Cody raised his shields, but flames withered and shields cracked. It engulfed them and sent them crashing back onto the tiny patch of ground in a smoldering crater.

"You don't think so, huh!? Everyone around me has sought to belittle me, insult me, or use me for their own ends!" Kaos was now in a near mindless rage, surging with power that might have been too much for him. "That's all anyone around you will do! In this or any world it's everyone for themselves! Friends, bonds, what does it get you!?"

Kaos jolted him with another hundred-thousand volts of dark magic. It hurt as much as he recalled the last time. His body went numb and limp rolling onto the edge.

"Spyro!"

"You let yourselves be taken in by a flight of fancy and think that someone else cares for you!" Kaos descended to Spyro to stomp his foot on the dragon's hide. His lungs were being crushed and the jolt was still coming over him. "No one gives a mutton chop about your problems! I crawled my way to this point, and I intend to go even higher!"

"Leave him alone!"

Cody threw himself onto Kaos. The two rolled and struggled while Spyro returned to his fours wobbling and dizzy. Kaos gave him a good kick to the stomach and sent him away.

"Cody!" Spyro coughed.

Kaos turned to Cody now, but called out to them both. He wanted his words to be spit on both their faces at once. "Friendship is worth nothing in this world. Your own world revolves around you, as it's meant to be."

"That's where you're wrong, cue-ball."

He bolted back. "Say what!? How dare you speak to the mighty Kaaaooosss in such a manner!"

"Friendship gets you everything. Fancy tricks, showboating, playing the lone wolf, that's what gets you nowhere." He strutted down, battered and tired, but strangely, he never felt cooler. He walked past Kaos, slapping his face with his tail for good measure. All he was looking at, past the evil plots, terrible monsters, and end of the world speech, was his partner.

"Cody knew that, even when he was heartbroken and alone. That's why he put his life on the line for me!"

Cody lifted his head, showing a fresh bruise from Kaos's strike. "Spyro… I… didn't-"

Spyro lifted him back to his feet. Mostly so he could help him stand on his, because that jittery, numbing feeling was still there in his caboose, so to speak. "Everybody makes mistakes. What I figured is… hey, I do too."

The boy chuckled. Small as it was, it was the first honest laugh he ever gave. "I can honestly say… you're a real blowhard."

Spyro chuckled back; he probably deserved that. "Heh. You know you love me. It's not easy to admit, but I do still have a lot to learn."

In the same way that Cody deserved a happy life, and he deserved a chance to prove he deserved to be part of the world Master Eon wanted to create. Whether it was waiting at the end of some grand road or already there inside as the clichés liked to tell, he'd found it. Whatever he'd sought to find in all those vast skies, beyond the farthest reaches, wasn't even there.

It was right here, in his own claw.

"One thing I know so far is this. Friendship, bonds, that's definitely worth fighting for!"

"Spare me your mushy-gushy sermons! Just get blasted into oblivion already!"

Kaos summoned his horrific projection again, with his Spellbook glowing a crimson red and growling with hunger. A ghastly moan emerged as the pages flipped by an unseen wind. The dark Portal Master fired his blast and everything was lost in a shadowy void. Cody, the space around them, the ground beneath his feet, it was all lost…

"No!"

Spyro opened his eyes once more. Heat, heat beyond anything was boiling inside him, as though he could upchuck explosions from his mouth. He'd relate to Eruptor so much after this.

But as the dragon opened his maw, a blinding flash came. An inferno roared out, crying like the roar of a thousand dragons. His eyes stung staring out at the contrast between his flame and the attack, but the shadows began to pull away. They cowered before his might, unleashing a flame as bright as day. Sunlight bursting from his body, ready to destroy any trace of darkness.

"AAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!" A scream came, and everything went white.

* * *

 **So sorry this came out so late. Today was a busy day and apart from that, my internet was down. The wait does add to the suspense, but I should be more consistent with a release schedule. Things have just been hectic on the home front to be honest.**

 **But here we are, the epic climax. I am pleased with this one in which we brushed on the thematic premise. Kaos is no longer playing around here in this rematch of the ages. And of course, fans of the Skylanders franchise would recognize the move right at the end there.**

 **Anyway, onto reviews:**

 **GameHero95** **: Yeah, Kaos is finally becoming a dangerous villain in his own right, though I suppose you could make a debate for that. If I did continue with this storyline, I would have plenty of ideas for villains, but I don't know. I don't think I would want to reveal something like that – I'm a tease that way.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: Thanks for the suggestion. To be honest, I did debate it internally, but because I gave Cody sort of a big victory on his own, I wanted to do the same for Spyro here. After all, this is as much his story as it is Cody's. Thus, the cliffhanger here.**

 **BookWriter94** **: Thanks as always for the support. Hopefully this lives up to your expectations.**

 **Thanks to everyone for continuing to support the story. At this point, I'd say there's only two chapters left. Next week is the penultimate chapter. See what happens at the conclusion, and if our heroes get out triumphant! Let's see if they even get out at all!**

 **As always, review, favorite, follow! Stay tuned, 'cause it's all winding down! Until next time!**


	38. Decision

Kaos's scream rang throughout the cosmos he created. Spyro's flames came in torrents: wave upon wave, a tsunami of fire and light with only a speck to block its path. Kaos summoned what seemed to be all the dark magic his body could muster with that spectral shadow behind him, but even then he was only as a spot upon the sun.

"What is this!? Too… bright!" His screams could barely be heard in the roars of fire. "This is impossible! Inconceivable! Improbable! Just plain stupid!"

For a moment, all seemed well – it was everything that looked like a final battle victory if video games and action shows taught ten-year-old boys like him anything. The dark Portal Master had pushed them to the brink, so Cody had to cross his fingers that Spyro's last-ditch miracle attack would do the job.

Except as he prayed, a searing glow rumbled beneath Spyro's scales. His usual hue of purple was gaining the hint of red and sweat trickled down in cascades. The dragon's body was coming close to being burned by his own flames for playing with fire. Cody gasped and grabbed on to his partner's body, ignoring the burn screaming across his skin. His prayer now melded with the hop that Spyro would survive his own attack.

"Spyro, hold on!"

"I don't understand! They have to rely on each other! Why do I have to… lose to something as stupid as that! I… I am-"

The fires melded and shifted, becoming a new sun in the dark night. The shadows shivered and retreated, and cracks formed in between them. The space rumbled, and even the ground beneath them felt like an illusion.

"Everything is… collapsing!" Cody shivered, gulping. "Not like this! No way! I won't let anyone die!"

He reached for his Portal and gripped the stone with strength to crush it. The stone returned his strength with light enough to burn his eyes. As the nova came close to him and his dazed dragon, they vanished into a star and rose above into nothing.

All went blank.

* * *

The small group of cadets charged with all the strength and valor of a small army. The ground nearly cracked under their feet as they moved in line towards the enraged beast. Weapons were raised and powers were triggered before any questions could come to mind.

"Somebody's got a plan, right!?" Pop Fizz asked the one that came after the fact.

"Nope!" Pablo yelled.

Eruptor nearly tripped on his feet in turn. "Okay, so basically we're all making hydra chow of ourselves just to look cool!"

"Skylanders aren't on the menu!" Stealth Elf called, her blades crossing with a sharp slice. "Everybody, swerve and surround!"

In their teams of two, the young heroes ran circles around the monster. It roared and stomped, smashing ground, swing its tail and heads, flailing blindly just hoping that it would get lucky and smash a slow-footed Skylander into mush. As its tail came around, Katelyn had vaulted off her own barrier with Stealth Elf in tow. Pablo and Eruptor vanished in an explosive cloud just as its right heads charged at them, only for Jason and Jet Vac to fly into its center and give it a face full of air.

Anne's magic kept a radar watch on all its body parts so even its thrashing had become predictable. The others could bounce off body parts as they came. Pop tossed a volley of concoctions into their faces, blowing into plumes of multicolored smoke and leaving the hydra with five teary-eyed heads roaring in frustration.

"We're slowing it down!" Anne exclaimed through the shine. "Who'd think that old trick would actually work?"

"It's not over yet, cadets! At the ready!"

Eon's yell came as the dragon reared its heads, gathering breath into their bodies. The air became tense, heavy, then non-existent as the space threatened to be sucked into their maws. The heads threw themselves forward, launching their massive blasts of elements decimating the castle walls and floor.

Each team returned to the forefront with only a hair's worth of time left. The Portal Masters raised their barriers to twice their size, pushing with all their weights against the force of the blasts, like trains being rammed into their bodies. Their partners pushed alongside them, though the pressure remained overwhelming. Their faces were sprayed and licked with the touch of embers, grinded with small cuts and felt the chill of fog seeping along their skin.

All as their barriers began to crack.

"We can hold it back! Keep pushing forward!"

Though the task seemed impossible and their bodies were breaking apart, they gained ground and pushed. Little by little, step by step they closed the distance. The hydra's roars echoed as its breaths were rebolstered, shaking the foundation itself. Distance between the parties shrunk in minutes that passed like days.

Until they reached the breaking point. Their barriers burned from their colors into pure white, melding and becoming a blinging force. The power the beast of sorcery unleashed was turned on its body as an explosion rang. Only its necks remained, while the heads and been burned, blasted, or just erased.

However it happened, the creature fell lifeless to the floor. Shadows seeped from its body smoldering over.

"You did it, Skylanders! Good and teamwork have prevailed once again!" A tremor cut Eon's praise for the cadets short. "Wait, what is…"

As the battle ended, it was like time came back to life for the castle. Cracks traveled along the floor and debris rained down, some on the cadets' heads. The ground shifted and rumbled, and décor toppled over along the floor falling into the deepening chasms. All the cadets huddled close to the old sage for safety.

Running could be heard amidst the rumbles and out from the entrance raised a familiar green. Glumshanks was bolting towards the door, suitcases in hand and panic in sight.

"This castle is about to be blown… whatever's higher than sky-high! I'm out of here!" His head snaked back in. "For the record, if you ever need an experienced thespian, give me a call! Seriously, I'm open!"

Pop went into a meltdown of mentality running in circles. "Game over, man! Game over! Abandon bad-guy lair! Call the medics, the insurance companies! Mommy!" He grabbed onto Anne only for the young scholar to immediately toss him off.

"There is no more time, we must flee at once!"

Stealth Elf grabbed the old sage by his tunic's sleeve. "Wait, what about Cody and Spyro!? They're still in there!"

"Elfy, there ain't no time! We gotta cover our own rocks!" Eruptor shouted.

"No! We are not going to leave them trapped in this place!"

The shriek that came near cancelled out the sound of the fallen debris. Katelyn, in tatters with a shredded skirt and dirtied face, gave a death glare that could chill to the bone if there weren't furious tears spilling out at the same time. She was a human who recognized another human's pain, and couldn't turn away from it, and expected them all to earn their mettle as heroes and do the same.

"Those two have spent too long being left alone! We can't just abandon them again! I will not let them die if I know I can help them!"

"Kate…"

No one was going to give her excuses or 'logic' as a means of getting away and leaving their friends to collapse in rubble. Suddenly all the heroic ideals and dreams and creeds were worth nothing if it meant two crushed bodies. It just wasn't fair that two lives could be filled with such solitude and bitterness and sorrow and be left to drag out into some void and everyone could be fine with it.

Still they stood there just watching and waiting for her to come to her senses and say that it was fine. She growled in fury and turned to the shadowy entrance with tear-stung eyes scanning for any sign of them. As she took her first step, a hand grabbed her by the wrist.

"Katelyn, they will be fine. They would not want you to risk yourself on their account."

"But, Master Eon!"

He smiled as a father would. "They have been alone, but now they have each other. They have the hearts of true heroes, that is what brought them together. They will be fine."

Everyone's feet finally triggered. They ran towards the door, with Eon and Jason keeping the tearful Katelyn from falling apart. Sadness, panic, and uncertainty were all they were carrying out with them, a far cry from the victory they'd hoped to find. Elf, the last one trailing, stood at the door and looked to the entrance herself. She'd hoped for one last sign of them, but found nothing.

The elf sighed. "I hope he's right… You guys are just getting started."

* * *

The door creaked as he slipped out from the crack. He was used to slinking out and making sure footsteps never made the slightest of noises at certain times of the day or night. Slinking through the hall without the foundation creaking was the easy part though. As soon as his hand brushed onto the wooden railing, it was as if they just triggered.

Two voices from the first floor, like wildcats ready to tear each other apart. It stopped him cold, his hand stopped right to the pulse. The wiser move was just to wait and see what happened.

"I can't believe this… all this was going on under my nose." A woman's voice came, heavy with fatigue, shock, and anger all in one. "What do you have to say for yourself!?"

"What the heck!? Who are you to criticize me!?" A gruff male voice fired back.

"The closet thing that boy has had to a parent! After everything that happened, you have the biggest nerve to call yourself a father!"

Ms. Phillips had come, at what point Cody had no idea, but she was smart enough and certainly determined enough to find out the truth. Who knows how much of the truth she had managed to catch onto though? But the part about him being shot in the stomach by his own father was likely unavoidable, especially if she used her common method of death-staring it out of him.

"I am his father, and I don't tell you enough apparently that what I do is my business!"

"By letting him suffer psychological abuse? By neglecting him? By shooting him?" She had gone from composed to mad to absolutely livid. In truth, he was getting somewhat scared. "I ought to call child services, not to mention let you be arrested by your own men! What you've done is criminal!"

"Don't you dare-"

"STOP!"

Both adults pulled to the staircase with their mouths hanging open. He likely was a sight, what with his shredded and burnt jacket and pants, and there was the feeling of a bloody spot somewhere around his head. The boy scratched his arm looking away sheepishly. The words were stuck on his tongue, somewhere between calling them out and reassuring them. In the end he settled for…

"Hi, Ms. Phillips. Dad."

Ms. Phillips rushed and grabbed him. Her touch reminded his bones they were broken. "Cody! Oh, my goodness, are you hurt? I heard everything! Don't worry, I'll take you to a doctor right away! I know someone from college, and-"

"It's okay, Ms. Phillips. I'm fine." Cody smiled, though only to distract from the pain.

"Fine!? Cody, I heard you were shot… and look at you! You're bruised and burned! Your jacket is a mess!" His tutor shook him out of panic. "What on Earth have you been doing!?"

"Well, that's kinda the thing… it wasn't on Earth."

"…Excuse me?"

"Whatever. Cody, get back to your room! Don't you think you've caused everyone enough grief?"

His father's words made the gun wound around his stomach flare up again, as from the moment he'd felt the bullet strike. It was strange how he was finally noticing how needlessly cruel his father was, the way every word out of his mouth was a barrage of gunshots trying to shoot down his spirit. But for the first time, Cody felt he could stare into his father's eyes as he took the shot.

"I guess I have… for five long years, as far as you're concerned." Cody shrugged off the pain, with a firm volume and no wavering in his voice as usual. "That's another thing. I've made a decision."

The man's eye twitched. "What are you talking about?"

His son smiled: no anger or anxiety, just strength. "I'm going back to school."

Ms. Phillips chuckled nervously, despite the mood of tension like sunlight and clouds forming in the room. "Cody, we're on winter break now. You can't go to school. Besides, you really should be going to the hospital."

"That's not what I mean. I'm going to my other school." He chuckled. "It's actually a kind of boarding school. Mom told me a bit about it, I guess."

"Alice? What does she have to do with this?"

"More than you know, actually."

Spyro jumped out of nowhere the way he did best sliding down the railway. He landed perfectly by Cody's side with a showy dismount and raising his paws expecting applause. MS. Phillips bounced back sliding down the steps.

"AAAAAAHHHHH! Cody, w-w-what is that!?"

"Rude. I thought you said she was the nice one, Code."

Mr. Evans turned back the clock and raised his gun cocking it towards the dragon. Cody immediately stood in the way, but Spyro did the same in turn. The need to protect the other was almost instinctual now. It made the officer's blood boil as hinted by the red hue on his face.

"What are you doing here this time, lizard?"

"Dragon, if you don't mind." Spyro gave a cocky tinge in his voice.

"Ms. Phillips, this is Spyro. He's my best friend." Cody took the dragon's claw in his hand, and he smiled back. The boy took the chance to head back upstairs, coming back with a backpack and a spare suitcase filled with his belongings. "And, I'll be going to school with him. I'll actually be gone for a while."

"W-What are you saying!? What is going on here!?"

"I think this is what mom would have wanted for me. I've spent so long in my room, just letting the world pass me by. I think it's time I lived my life."

He finally remembered. The stories his mother told, word for word, how they entranced him with how vividly she'd described it, as if she'd been there. Those stories made him fascinated with fantasy creatures and the idea of heroes, to the point he'd dreamed he was in such a world with his mother's hand holding on to his, showing him every place and meeting every amazing being. Cody had forgotten those happy memories.

The Skylands and all its heroes… saved him.

It was through the cadets and the institution where they learned that let him come back into contact with the world. Everything sparkled, and the sun shined brighter from high up in the heavens. He could finally see those happy times again, rather than just being stuck in loop on the moment she took her last breath. Her words, her stories came through to him again. The Skylands truly did save him; he was glad he could return the favor somehow.

There was so much more beyond that door. The world itself – he wanted to see more.

"Hold it right there!" His father grabbed him by the shoulder. "Do you think you can just walk away and-"

Cody shrugged his father off and once again stared him in the eye. "Yes, I can. This is what I've chosen for myself. I kinda owe it to mom and Spyro for showing me the way."

"You don't need to worry. I'll take care of him, dragon's honor." Spyro saluted taking Cody's side.

"Thank you for everything, Ms. Phillips. And dad… maybe we can really talk when I come back."

"Cody…"

One of them had to have lingering concerns, something they wanted to say. That could wait. The door was open, and life was waiting for him. It had been waiting five long years. He opened the door, and the sun shined bright, like the memory of his mother's smile. She must have been saying he was making the right choice.

The boy smiled to them one last time, as she would.

"Goodbye."

* * *

 **Well, that about wraps this one up. Sorry for the wait, there was a lot going on today.**

 **Here we are, the end of one battle leads to a new beginning. Our heroes are fully realized, they won the day and they're about ready to wrap things up. Character growth is always something to behold, is it not?**

 **Like Cody, I don't think I have much to say beyond what's been said already. Let's move to the reviews:**

 **stephanieeiche10** **: I did have some plans, but we'll see what happens. If you want advice for your story, feel free to consult me on whatever you might be having trouble with.**

 **MYTHICBOY** **: Thank you for the suggestion – I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and I hope this one pleases as well.**

 **Bookwriter94** **: Thank you for staying on and being a loyal reader. I hope this chapter gave the conclusion you were looking for.**

 **JoelFennell1** **: I'm afraid I don't know much about Sons of Anarchy, sorry. But thank you for reading this story, anyway.**

 **Well, folks. Next time will be it. There is just one chapter to go, the epilogue and conclusion. We are about ready to wrap up this little journey of ours and I am thankful for everyone sticking with it and reading until the end. Our final thoughts are coming through and where our characters go from there? Well, not even the sky is the limit.**

 **Until then, review, favorite, follow! Until next time!**


	39. Our Beginning

"Alright, get in there! Lousy snake in the grass."

A voice shouted with a crack of something. A hiss parted from the lips.

"Cloudcracker's just about up and running again. Getting the Traptanium Crystals from the Academy too." The Mabu guard at the left side called. The weight of chains was heavy on the form, cold to the touch and like being dragged like a dead body. "To think, you'll be the first one in this cell since the Doom Raiders themselves."

"Sounds totes rad, furball." Dreamcatcher slurred with the chains locked firmly onto her braces. For all her surroundings, she was strangely ecstatic. "I'll take this over that school of lame goody two-shoes any day."

She felt a poke at her cheek, sneering as her bow was nearly touched by the staff the Mabu had. "That 'school of lame goody-two shoes' would have given you a future. You could have been a Skylander like your parents, but you threw it all away." Her metallic scowl deepened further. "Should have spent some more time there if you're that dumb."

Yeah, the news was a shocker once it had made its way around the Skylands and given the subject it had spread like wildfire. She had become the black spot in the Academy's perfect history of putting heroic seeds in the ground and raising up champions of justice and all that. Old timers fainted, gossip vines spread like weeds and all the Skylands were turned upside down and shaken. It was a welcome change.

The sentence was carried out reluctantly, given she was the daughter of famous parents. As soon as she saw their faces and heard their devastated reactions, she all but begged for the sentence. It was the best treat she could have received, to show the world her true colors. To put it bluntly, she'd created a nightmare there was no waking up from. She bobbed in the air, her bangs dancing in delight alongside her, as she strode down the halls.

"Some attitude for a glorified teddy bear." The former student remarked, paying more attention to the cracks and damp halls at her sides, or the prisoners still caged. "See, likin' it here already."

"Shut up! You wanna be a criminal? Now you get treated like one!"

"Kay."

The Mabu nearly kicked her in towards the old cell at the top of Cloudcracker. That podium of stone and Traptanium that crackled with a surging barrier, surrounded by watching towers. For the first time in nearly a full year, that cell, the one that had contained some of Skylands' worst criminals was coming to life. A chill ran through the magical dome, giving her a slight tinge of excitement.

Though she didn't show it, and for good reason. A cage was still a cage. The fun of being a bad guy was in being able to get away with all the nasty things you did. The head turned to the ground sitting in a bed of her own hair.

"Whatevs. This still beats playing nice withal those losers. I mean, 'let's hug puppies, and slide down rainbows, and go on fun little after-school adventures and save the day!' Gag me with a spoon… if I had a neck." She huffed. "Still, think I'll get totes bored."

"Allow me to remedy that!"

That voice… ugh.

His entrance came in just as showy a fashion. It appeared from a bulk of storm clouds that just happened to form, even with the gloomy weather common to Cloudcracker and its occupants. It was an old-fashioned castle, with towers and the broken foundation of bricks and the like, with eerie lights from the windows and spires that gave a trying-too-hard impression. The building hovered in midair atop a self-generated tempest, cackling in turn with lightning strikes, looming over the prison with its shadow.

"Oh, come on! Again!?" A guard shouted.

"Snapshot, what should we do!?"

The reptilian commando came out still in bandages from the last time. He stared towards the fortress like an ant would a malicious giant and huffed. He could still lift up his ice crossbow regardless of the still tens of broken bones in that purse-bound shell.

"Ready the defenses! All personnel at the ready! He's not going to get through us this time!"

The castle sprouted cannons from its bulk, adorned with spikes as was the trend with the villain crowd. They did leave a menacing sight as they whirred, and light drew within their barrels. A well-placed shot at their towers destroyed the palace watchtowers and cause the bubble around her to crack. Everyone just dove out of the way before they found themselves beneath an ill-placed fallen rock.

Such a shame. Dreamcatcher giggled at the though of what Mabu pancakes must have looked like. She'd be taking a rain check on that purse, as well. The drawbridge at the castle gate opened, spitting out the contents of one diminutive little troll and his lackey.

The one with the ears was coughing at all the smoke in the air from the crumbled foundation. Through watery eyes, he found his way around all the knocked-out bodies. "Par for the course, sir. I think they'll be taking even longer on repairs this time."

"But of course, Glummy! A prison is like a prison for us bad guy breed. I don't care for these Sky-losers to get their way with imprisoning the innocent villains of the world!"

There he was. In all of that vainglorious appearance a little imp with a monkey-jaw and planet-sized cranium could have. Suppose he had gotten himself a few upgrades and his robe was less grimy than it usually was. Still, if she could pick and choose her rescuers, she wouldn't be groaning and tipping over right now.

"Where do I start with that statement?"

"Ugh… this would've been perfect if I could have gotten busted out by anyone except you." Dreamcatcher floated over anyway.

"Don't say that. I believe I promised you a lucrative deal in the art of villainy. And I am now here to make good on that promise." He was clutching onto that Spellbook everybody and their grandma wanted. The former student did have to admit it gave an intoxicating sinister aura. The dark Portal Master held out his hand in offering.

"You and I… have quite a future ahead of us…"

* * *

It was funny, how everything sparkled that day. The sun seemed especially bright filtering through the trees, newly trimmed, while dew on the lawns glistened like remnants of stardust. The white stone on the towers was almost blinding as well, while a crisp morning breeze flowed past them to his skin. It was like the world had that fresh dawn feeling. Cody looked to all the others assembled, with backpacks and essentials in tow.

After the conflict with Leichter, the school had been repaired in record time thanks in no small part to the combined efforts of the Senseis and students. That and a few calls to easy-to-reach Mabu construction crews. In the time it had taken them to fight of a world-ending threat, Skylander Academy had been restored to its majestic, pristine self, almost with familiarity in its ease. None of the kids dared venture into how that was, even if a few guesses went around.

Cody smiled nervously. The sense of wonder and weirdness never ceased in this place.

"So did you all talk to your families?"

"Yeah!" Pablo hopped shouting. "My abuela was totally all for it… well, after I gave her my famous chili. And she fainted. And we called the doctor. And he laughed. And we all went out to blow up-"

"We get the picture." Jason dead-toned. "Anyway, my folks were pretty whatever about it."

"Really?" Anne gave the same tone back at him.

"For the most part."

Pablo latched onto his shoulder. "Oooh! Were you and your family about to blow up-"

"I just went with the simplistic approach of informing my parents it was a cultural exchange program." Anne sighed adjusting her glasses. She was studious mostly, but she did also take great care in being honest, too. "I suppose it actually is, all things considered. They were willing to allow, on the condition I would send them letters and grade reports."

"How are you going to swing that?"

"I have my methods."

Katelyn had an enormous blush on her face. "My mother… I never spoke to her so freely before. I told her the same things as Anne did her parents; suppose I really put my foot down." She beamed brightly, so much different from the stiff model of an heiress she was when Cody had met her. "She agreed, albeit rather huffily. I didn't know I could do that."

Every one of them had a freeness to them that wasn't there before. Whatever had been holding each of them back was gone. They still held themselves pretty normal from first glance, the same tones and faces Cody had been used to seeing in two words over the course of a year. Yet when light touched down, each of their faces looked radiant and sparkling, like fresh water had cleared a layer of grime. Any bit of tension was completely gone.

The boy wondered if he looked that way to them. Hard to say what it was, though he had cleared away five years of cobwebs from his form and mustered the strength to break out of his old abode. He really hoped he had changed in that regard like the rest of them.

"I feel the same. I talked to my dad… it was… almost easy." He chuckled. "Then again, I can't ignore how I nearly fainted as soon as we got to the Academy. Spyro had to carry me to the nurse's."

Jason and the rest turned to the spires of the Academy. "So… this is where we'll be staying."

"That's right, and it's almost time for your formal induction!"

Hugo burst out the door to the main library, juggling his own glasses and sashes in his hands. They were of the same quality and appearance as Master Eon's though with a few less marks. They'd explained it was a mark of student status here, though as regal as it looked, it was a bit unnerving.

Hugo passed out the sashes and scrolls of paper to each of them. "Now remember, keep your eyes on the crowd, stick to the speeches you've prepared, and under no circumstances should you think about sheep!"

"I have been meaning to inquire, Hugo." Anne spoke. "Why are you so apprehensive towards sheep?

"That is a dark tale full of tragedy and woe-"

"Ah, spare us the drama, Hugo."

Everyone else was gathered at the door, watching down on them with bright smiles. Eruptor was still left exasperated from Hugo's outburst. Something about the sight, mixed emotions and all, seemed fitting.

Stealth Elf popped down from the rafters, grabbing them by the shoulder in a show of emotions. "Looks like you guys are all set. It's gonna be a real pleasure having you aboard with us."

Spyro was quick to follow, grabbing Cody by the shoulders. "Make sure you're ready for the afterparty. Gotta show them our best sides, Code. Still trying to figure out which one."

Master Eon was the last to follow. Him meeting them with a stance of unbridled pride and happy friends by his side. It was a sense of family and belonging that Cody hadn't felt in years. Suddenly the crispness of the air, the warm sun and bright light, everything felt real and made sense. He was sure he'd felt the same as the others.

The sage held out his hand to the boy. "Well, then. Are you ready, cadets?"

Everyone smiled. "Yes."

* * *

 _Who would have thought it would end up like this? Who'd think any of this could happen… but I'm glad it did._

 _Someone I knew once told me that anything worth doing wasn't easy. It was one of the few wisdoms he'd said to me before everything._

 _So I'm glad I faced it. And I'm glad I had you by my side._

 _Thank you for everything._

"Man, that had to be one of Eon's longest speeches yet! I nearly went into hibernation!"

Cody shut the book he'd had with the pencil in between the covers.

Spyro flew over to Cody on the edge of a random floating island. A quaint spot with a meadow of flowers of all colors and varieties. They called it 'The Thinking Spot' or at least Spyro did when he was young and came out to contemplate life with the fresh scents of wildflowers and chirping birds to calm him. It made the boy wish he had found the place when he had first come, just to deal with all the anxiety.

The ceremony had been beyond control, as much as the first party they threw when he had arrived. Cody had just spoken out of the purest of peer pressure and it had roped him into an adventure beyond imagination. It had gone beyond the scope of the school this time, when the Senseis and possibly every creature in Skylands was there. Airships flew with banners of praise and confetti and fireworks dotted the air in breathtaking blindness. They'd had to pry him out of his spot and nudge the speech they'd prepared for him out of his mouth.

How his partner had slept through all the madness was beyond understanding.

Cody still laughed, though. "Yeah. Stealth Elf had to slap you awake five times. You even spit out a few flame breaths. I was getting a little nervous."

The dragon latched onto his shoulders. "Nervous, come on! That's gonna be your job from now on."

"Can't wait."

Spyro hopped to his side and sat. The two just watched the clouds roll by as another wind came. It blew the seeds of dandelions past their heads, carrying them off to lands unknown. They just let the serene space fill them with such thoughts and be pleased with their answers.

"So, you're a full-fledged Portal Master now." Spyro spoke after the long pause. "Well, at least you're a full-fledged cadet. You'll get used to it."

"I've already had a whole year so far."

The dragon shrugged. "A lot can happen around here."

Cody stayed silent, grasping the cover of his book. All the thoughts reflected in it, a year's worth or more, coming into his head in an instant. "You know… I finally remembered something… About my mom." He knew without looking that the dragon's wings had drooped. There was a coldness now to the air. "Everyone said it was my fault she died. They made me some kind of evil demon."

"Uh-huh…" Spyro spoke tonelessly.

His hand brushed the leather of the journal, a roughness that sent shivers down. "I can't deny I was part of that decision to lock myself away, too. I figured there was nothing in the world worth living for. It just seemed like the end."

He spoke softly. "I'm real glad it wasn't. We wouldn't have met."

"That's just it." The two shared a look. "Remember the story my mom told me? About the flowers?"

"Oh, yeah. All those drawings in your closet were those flower drawings you made, weren't they?"

"Yeah. The hospital gave them back to me after she passed. The first thing I wanted to do was throw them away. But I couldn't, after everything I put into them. So I locked them away."

Spyro flipped back to his light-hearted self in an instant. "Too bad. They were pretty good for a five-year-old."

Cody blushed. He remembered how at best they started off as colorful scribbles; some didn't even look like flowers or others did but almost seemed like the had faces on them. His mother always smiled and accepted each one to line the halls of her hospital room. He did get better over time, thanks to no small amount of drawing books to help with the subject. The best ones were put on top, only to gather dust while anything else he'd tried to draw was left unfinished. Hollow and blank.

He smiled, with that weight off him once and for all. "I remember… how the story ended."

"Yeah?"

"After the two friends died, the doctors were able to learn about their illness enough to develop a treatment. They could cure the illness in others that had it." Just reading that was enough for him, once he'd found that old story at his Earth school's library and dared to turn the pages. "Their sacrifice saved countless lives. A shrine was dedicated to them, with millions of flowers in thanks."

"That's pretty awesome. It wasn't for nothing."

Cody nodded. "That's what I think mom was trying to say, too. She knew she was going to die, but she wanted me to have faith that good things could come even from tragedy... And she was right."

"What makes you think so?"

The boy smiled bright as sunlight. "I got to meet you, after all."

Spyro went red. "Heh. You're gonna make me blush. Although, red would make my purple pop a little more."

The two turned to the sky once more. The clouds finally parted to reveal a bright sun itself shining down on them. Their own clouds had been lifted as well, for the first time.

"I'm glad we became friends." Cody spoke.

"Yeah, me too."

.

"Code, this is our beginning."

* * *

 **The end of a journey.**

 **Ladies and gentleman, we have arrived at the finale. Thanks to everyone who stuck with the story just far and read through this journey, one of characters and myself personally. This is actually the first story I've ever finished. I owe a lot to the dedicated readers who have supported me with their comments.**

 **I remember starting this on a whim, as most fanfictions tend to go. Skylanders Academy, the Netflix show, was my entry into this franchise, even though it wasn't an accurate depiction of the original storylines. Even though the show was sadly cancelled, I'm glad I was able to keep the party going a little while longer.**

 **The sequel, I currently have some ideas bouncing around in my head, but I'm probably going to take a little break for now. Possibly come up with something for my own original work. School is also coming up in the meantime. But I will come back to this someday, most likely. The Skylanders' adventures never truly end.**

 **Again, thank you to everyone who stuck around and read to the end. To any new readers who stumble upon this, I hope you enjoy reading it as the others and as much as I did writing it.**

 **Until next time, everyone!**


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